The Legislative Department 

Policy Update
Tarushi Parihar

Background

The Legislative Department, under the Ministry of Law and Justice, occupies a pivotal position  in India’s governance framework. Tasked with drafting, vetting, publishing and translating laws enacted by Parliament, it ensures that legislation is constitutionally sound, legally coherent, and aligned with policy objectives.

India’s legislative landscape has expanded significantly, with over 1,500 Central Acts currently in force, alongside thousands of amendments and subordinating rules introduced annually to address evolving societal, economic, and administrative needs.  Beyond core drafting duties, the Department handles authoritative translations of laws into Hindi and several regional languages, promoting linguistic accessibility in a diverse nation of over 1.4 billion people where English proficiency varies widely.

 In recent years, a marked push toward digitisation—through platforms like the e-Gazette and online legislative repositories—has transformed traditional processes, accelerating publication timelines from days to hours while enhancing transparency and public access.

However, this shift toward executive-driven, time-efficient law-making has sparked critical debates: can rapid digitised processes coexist with the democratic deliberation essential to robust legislation? Recent governance trends suggest efficiency often trumps depth, setting the stage for both achievements and challenges ahead.

Department Functions

The Legislative Department performs multifaceted operations forming the backbone of India’s law-making machinery, spanning drafting, publication, translation, and technological integration.

Drafting and Vetting of Legislation

At its core, the Department receives inputs from various ministries and drafts principal legislation such as Bills, Ordinances, and even Constitution Amendment Bills. Drafters meticulously scrutinise each proposal against constitutional provisions under Articles 245-255, ensuring no conflict with fundamental rights, federal principles, or judicial precedents. For instance, subordinate legislation like rules and notifications under parent Acts undergoes rigorous vetting to maintain uniformity across statutes. This process involves legal officers cross-referencing with existing laws, international obligations, and policy intent. The Department also flags potential Centre-State overlaps, advising on repugnancy under Article 254. During high-stakes sessions, such as those involving money Bills or emergency Ordinances, turnaround times shrink to mere days, demanding precision under pressure.

Publication and Codification of Laws

Once Parliament approves a Bill, the Department authenticates and publishes it as a Central Act via the official Gazette of India, conferring legal validity nationwide. This includes Extraordinary Gazettes for urgent Ordinances and regular editions for standard Acts. Simultaneously, it maintains the India Code portal, a dynamic repository updating statutes with amendments; a laborious task, given over 300 amendments yearly. Codification involves consolidating fragmented laws into coherent volumes, such as the 58-volume Bare Acts series, aiding judges, lawyers, and administrators. Errors here could invalidate laws, underscoring the Department’s gatekeeper role.

Translation and Accessibility

In a multilingual democracy, translating 1,000+ Acts into Hindi (and selecting regional languages) ensures non-English speakers, over 90% of the population, can access justice. Official Hindi versions carry equal authority under Article 348(3), vetted by linguistic experts to preserve legal nuances. Digitisation amplifies this: scanned originals and translations now feed searchable databases, bridging urban-rural divides.

Digitisation of Legislative Processes

The e-Gazette portal, launched in 2014 and upgraded on a regular basis, processes over 50,000 notifications annually online, eliminating paper delays. Tools like collaborative drafting software and AI-assisted clause banks streamline vetting, while blockchain pilots secure publication integrity. This tech infusion reflects India’s Digital India vision but demands cybersecurity vigilance against tampering risks.

Performance (Last 2–3 Years)

The performance of the Legislative Department can be assessed through legislative output, procedural efficiency, and digitisation trends over recent years(2022-25)

• Parliament sustained robust output: 28 Bills passed in 2022, 34 in 2023, and 179 non-finance Bills across the 17th Lok Sabha (2019-2024), averaging 36 annually, a 20% rise from prior Lok Sabhas. Into 2025’s Budget Session, over 10 Bills advanced rapidly, including amendments to oilfields and telecommunications laws. 
• Yet, quality metrics falter: The proportion of Bills referred to Parliamentary Standing Committees has declined significantly—from around 60–70% earlier to nearly 25–30% in recent years, indicating reduced legislative scrutiny
• Alarmingly, 58% of Bills cleared in under two weeks, with 35% debated less than one hour in Lok Sabha which is far below the 20+ hours ideal for complex measures.

In terms of digitisation:

• e-Gazette handled 1.2 lakh notifications in 2023-24 alone, slashing publication from 7 days to near-instant, serving 100 million+ users yearly.
• The Department vetted 140 proposals from January 2023-March 2024, per its Annual Report, while online portals logged 5 crore+ hits.

A key pattern emerges: While legislative productivity remains high, there is a simultaneous decline in deliberative scrutiny, raising concerns about the depth and quality of law-making.

Impact

The Legislative Department has played a critical role in ensuring the continuity and efficiency of India’s legislative process in an increasingly complex policy environment.

Improved Efficiency and Timeliness

Digitisation compressed drafting-to-publication timelines by 70%, enabling real-time compliance for businesses and citizens—e.g., GST amendments now effective overnight. 

Enhanced Accessibility of Laws

Online access empowered 100 million+ users, spiking legal literacy via apps like India Code (10 million downloads). Centralised vetting standardised phrasing, curbing judicial reinterpretations by 15% in recent cases. However, accessibility remains functional rather than substantive, as complex legal language limits broader citizen understanding.

Standardisation and Legal Consistency

Centralised drafting ensures uniformity in legal language and structure, strengthening coherence across statutes and reducing ambiguity.

Emerging Trade-Off: Speed vs Deliberation

A critical pattern is the growing trade-off between speed and scrutiny. While faster passage of Bills reflects efficiency, reduced committee referrals and limited debate may compromise legislative quality. Limited debate (under 10 hours average) curtails amendments, while ad-hoc consultations exclude civil society, fostering perceptions of executive overreach. Accessibility improves quantitatively but qualitatively lags: 70% of citizens still struggle with legalese, per SARAL survey.

Limited Participatory Law-Making

Public consultation in legislative drafting remains inconsistent. The absence of structured pre-legislative consultation mechanisms limits stakeholder participation and inclusiveness.

Emerging Issues

• Scrutiny Deficit: 16% referral rate starves Bills of expert input, amplifying post-enactment litigation.
• Hasty Passage: 58% under two weeks leaves no room for iterative refinement.
• Consultation Gaps: Only 20% of Bills see public drafts; stakeholders like NGOs remain sidelined.
• Language Barriers: Archaic terms alienate 90% non-legal readers, hindering self-help justice.
• Digital Shortfalls: Portals lack multilingual AI search; rural internet gaps (40% penetration) persist.

Suggested Solutions

• Mandatory Consultations: Enact a Pre-Legislative Scrutiny Policy requiring 60-day public comments on all Bills over ₹500 crore impact.
• Scrutiny Revival: Legislate 40% minimum committee referrals, with timelines capped at 90 days.
• Plain Language Mandate: Update drafting manuals with readability scores (Flesch >60), piloting in 50 Bills yearly.
• Platform Upgrades: Integrate AI chatbots and voice search on e-Gazette; partner with India Post for offline kiosks.
• Capacity Building: Train 500+ officers annually via NIScPR modules on tech, inclusivity, and federalism.

Way Forward

India’s legislative evolution—from paper ledgers to digital hubs—promises agility in a dynamic democracy. Yet sustaining this requires recalibrating speed with substance: reinstating committees, embedding consultations, and humanising language. By 2030, target 50% scrutiny rates, 80% plain-language compliance, and 90% digital satisfaction. The Legislative Department, as architect of laws shaping 1.4 billion lives, must lead this balance—harnessing AI for efficiency while safeguarding deliberation. Reforms today will forge resilient statutes for tomorrow’s challenges, from climate pacts to AI ethics. 

References 

1. eGazette. (2025). eGazette.
2. Legislative Department. (2024). Functions. Government of India.
3. Legislative Department Annual Report 2023–2024. (2024). Annual report 2023–2024. Government of India.
4. Ministry of Law and Justice. (2024). Annual report. Government of India.
5. NITI Aayog. (2023). Governance and institutional reforms in India. Government of India.
6. Press Information Bureau. (2023). Legislative process and governance updates. Government of India.
7. PRS India Budget Session 2025 Legislation. (2026). Budget Session 2025 legislation.
8. PRS Legislative Research Functioning of the 17th Lok Sabha. (2024). Functioning of the 17th Lok Sabha.
9. PRS Legislative Research Vital Stats of Parliament Sessions. (2024). Vital stats of Parliament sessions.

About the Contributor

Tarushi Parihar is a Policy Research Intern at Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI).

Acknowledgement

The author sincerely thanks Ms Paridhi and the IMPRI team for their constructive comments and editorial guidance during the review of this policy update.

Disclaimer: Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of IMPRI. 

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