New Delhi: The political scene is heating up as the next elections are approaching. There is a lot of speculation about whether the government will pursue the goal of a ‘One Nation-One Election’ this time. However, this seems to be clearing up now. Sources say that after several discussions, the Law Commission has concluded that it will be hard to implement the One Nation-One Election in 2024. The Law Commission of India convened a meeting on Wednesday to deliberate on three issues, including ‘One Country One Election’. In this meeting, a consensus was reached on UCC and POSCO, but there was some difficulty on the issue of ‘One Nation One Election’.
After the Law Commission meeting, Commission Chairman Justice Ruturaj said that we discussed the concept of one nation, one election on Wednesday. But we could not arrive at any decision on this issue. It seems that more meetings will be required. We will hold more meetings before sending the final report.
Report on One Nation-One Election
It is worth noting that the Law Commission’s report on ‘One Country-One Election’ may come out before the 2024 general elections. In this report, the Commission will suggest constitutional amendments to make simultaneous elections a reality in India. The Commission says that it is not possible to bring the One Nation One Election before the 2024 elections.
Sources said that the Law Commission’s report on simultaneous elections is not ready as some issues are still unresolved. To ensure simultaneous elections for both state assemblies and Lok Sabha from 2029, the commission under Justice Rituraj Awasthi may suggest shortening or extending the tenure of the assemblies. Sources said that a mechanism is being devised to ensure that once arrangements are made to hold simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, voters have to go to the polling booth only once to vote for both elections.
Sources said that since the Assembly and Parliamentary elections are held in different phases, the Commission is also taking care to ensure that voters do not have to go to polling stations more than once to vote for the two elections. He said that the Commission believes that assembly and parliamentary elections can be held simultaneously and is only working out the modalities for the smooth conduct of the huge democratic exercise. At present, the work of the Commission is to suggest ways to hold Assembly and Lok Sabha elections simultaneously.
Law Commission’s Opinion on POSCO
The Law Commission has advised the government not to change the existing age of consent for sexual relations under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and has suggested applying guided judicial discretion regarding sentencing in POCSO cases involving tacit consent of adolescents aged 16 to 18 years.
The Law Commission has submitted its report on the age of consent for sexual relations under the POCSO law to the Law Ministry, in which it has suggested measures to improve the situation in cases involving tacit consent of adolescents aged 16 to 18 years. It requires amendments. In the country, the age of consent is currently 18 years.
The Commission said that lowering the age of consent will have a direct and negative impact on the fight against child marriage and child trafficking. The Commission advised courts to exercise caution in cases where it is found that teenage love cannot be controlled and may not have had criminal intent.
