House panel for department of international law

The parliamentary standing committee on law and personnel on Tuesday recommended setting up of a new department of international law to work as a nodal agency for creating a pool of legal experts to negotiate and draft international treaties, saying India too needs a “matching” expertise at international fora. The committee also recommended that the ministry of law and justice should be rechristened as ministry of international law, domestic law and justice.

In its report “Role of Ministry of Law and Justice in Framing/Approving the Provisions of International Covenants/Multilateral/Bilateral Treaties or Agreements”, it also said a new “department of international obligations and implementations” under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister to monitor the implementation of New Delhi’s international obligations and commitments. The committee said it has been the experience at international fora that developed countries are represented by a large number of legal experts whereas the Indian delegation is not supported by matching number of legal experts.

“The committee feels that our delegations are not adequately equipped to that extent. The committee wishes that on such occasions, we should have an equally capable negotiating team to instantly interpret the provisions of negotiations and providing alternative formula in the interest of the country,” said the report.