The Lok Sabha passed the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2025, aimed at removing obsolete, redundant, and colonial-era laws

Rationale Behind the Bill

• According to the Government, the Bill aims to:
  • Reverse the effects of colonisation by removing outdated colonial-era statutes.
  • Reduce legal clutter and make the statute book more accessible.
  • Lower the compliance burden on citizens, businesses, and institutions.
• The Law and Justice Minister highlighted that:
  • 1,562 obsolete Acts have been repealed and 15 amended since 2014.
  • Over 40,000 compliance requirements have been eliminated in the last 11 years.
• The reform reflects the governance philosophy of:
  • Minimum Government, Maximum Governance
  • Citizen-centric policymaking
  • Reform, Perform, Transform

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Key Provisions

• Repeal of Obsolete Laws: The Bill repeals 71 Acts, of which 65 are Amendment Acts whose changes have already been incorporated into principal legislation.
• Amendment of Existing Acts:
  • The Bill amends four Acts to correct drafting issues, update terminology and Remove procedural redundancies.
• Acts Being Repealed:
  • Indian Tramways Act, 1886
  • Levy Sugar Price Equalisation Fund Act, 1976
  • Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (Determination of Conditions of Service of Employees) Act, 1988
  • Several other obsolete amendment laws that no longer required independently.
• Acts Being Amended
  • General Clauses Act, 1897 and Code of Civil Procedure, 1908: They are amended to update terminology related to registered posts.
  • Indian Succession Act, 1925: 
    • This act is amended to remove the requirement of court validation (probate) for wills in certain cases.
    • It relaxes earlier rules requiring probate for wills of Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, and Parsis in Kolkata, Madras, and Mumbai.
  • Disaster Management Act, 2005: The Bill seeks to correct a drafting error, including replacing the term “prevention” with “preparation”.

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