Legal GK Update: Famous Commissions in India

Many commissions and committees are formed by the government to look into current social issues. Some
of these commissions have made a substantial contribution to our lives and other have been made simply to
investigate or study the case. You should familiarize yourself with these to prepare for the Legal General
Knowledge part of the CLAT Exam.
1. Central Information Commission
Receiving and inquiring into complaints from aggrieved persons.
2. Central Vigilance Commission
Probing offences by Central Government officers, Officers of societies, corporation and local authority under
the Central Government.
3. Commission for Centre-State Relations
Review of working of existing arrangements between Union and States i.e. power, functions, and
responsibilities in all spheres.
4. Commission of Enquiry (Tehelka Commission)
To enquire into the definite matter of public importance with the power of civil court.
5. Commission of Enquiry into Oil-for-Food Scam
To inquire into the Oil-for-Food Scam.
6. Commission on Criminal Justice
Reformation of criminal justice system, compensation to victims, and effective investment etc.
7. Committee on Reforming Bureaucracy
Best practices of Bureaucracy
8. Competition Commission of India
To curb monopolies, to ensure fair competition in India by prohibiting adverse trade practices and to pass
order for granting interim relief and to impose penalties in case of defaults.
9. Delimitation Commission
Readjustment of the allocation of seats in Lok Sabha to several States and total number of seats in the
Legislative Assembly of each State.
10. Election Commission
Preparation of the electoral rolls, direction, superintendence, and control of elections to Parliament and State
Legislatures, recognition of political parties and allotment of symbols and also conducting elections to offices
of Presidents and Vice-Presidents of India.
11. Finance Commission
Distribution of financial resources between Union and States, proceeds from taxes, principles governing
grants-in-aid to revenue of States out of consolidated fund of India, etc.
12. Justice Nanavati Commission
To inquire into 1984 Riot case (Indira Gandhi Assassination Riot).
13. Kalelkar Commission
Adhering to Article 340, the First Backward Classes Commission was set up by a presidential order on
January 29, 1953
14. Khosla Commission
A one-man commission headed by Justice GD Khosla established July 1970 to re-investigate the
circumstances surrounding the supposed death of Subhas Chandra Bose. The commission reached the
same conclusions as Shah Nawaz Committee.
15. Law Commission
To suggest for implementation and development in constitutional and legal matters including the human way
of death penalty
16. Liberhan Commission
To enquire into demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.
17. Mandal Commission
Headed by Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal to consider the question of seat reservations and quotas for people
to redress caste discrimination, and used eleven social, economic, and educational indicators to determine
"backwardness."
18. Mukherjee Commission
A one-man board of Justice Manoj Mukherjee, a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India which was
instituted in 1999 to enquire into the controversy surrounding the reported death of Subhas Chandra Bose in
1945.
19. National Commission for Backward Classes
Inclusion of castes as backward class in OBC lists and to deal with the related matters.
20. National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic
Tribes (NCDNSNT)
A national commission set under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, to study various
developmental aspects of denotified and nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes in India.
21. National Commission for Scheduled Castes
To investigate and monitor all matters relating to the safeguards provided for the SCs, to inquire into specific
complaints on deprivation of rights of SCs to participate and advice on the planning process of
socioeconomic development of SCs.
22. National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
To investigate and monitor the matters relating to safeguards provided for STs, to inquire into specific
complaints on deprivation of rights of STs.
23. National Commission for Women
Investigation and examination of all matters relating to safeguards provided for women, take up cases
relating to women to other authorities and to look into complaints relating to deprivation of women's rights.
24. National Commission on Labour
To review and suggest improvement of labour standard.
25. National Commission on Minorities
To evaluate the progress of the development of minorities under the Union and States, look into complaints
regarding the deprivation of minorities rights.
26. National Commission to Review the Working of Constitution of India
Study of working of Constitution. in key area.
27. National Forest Commission
Review and assessment of existing forest policy, legal frame work on scientific and economic point of
examination of current statutes of forest administration and institutions and policy on development and wild
life management.
28. National Human Rights Commission
Receiving complaint from victim, directions to Government, etc. and rehabilitation to victims.
29. National Judicial Commission
Appointment of Judges in high judiciary and transfer of High Court Judges.
30. National Knowledge Commission
On 13 June, 2005 , the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, constituted the National Knowledge
Commission, as a think-tank charged with considering possible policy that might sharpen India's
comparative advantage in the knowledge-intensive service sectors. The Commission was to recommend
reform of the education sector, research labs, and intellectual property legislation; as well as consider
whether the Government could itself upgrade its use of the latest techniques to make its workings more
transparent. The NKC website was launched in February 2006.
31. Planning Commission
To oversee the 5 years planning program for the economic development etc. in India.
32. Sahariya Commission
To review the POTA implementation in Centre and various States.
33. Sarkaria Commission
It was set up in June 1983 to examine the relationship and balance of power between state and central
governments in the country and suggest changes within the framework of Constitution of India. It was
headed by Justice Rajinder Singh Sarkaria, a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India.
34. Shah Commission
inquire into all the excesses committed in the Indian Emergency (1975 - 77). It was headed by Justice J.C.
Shah
35. Shah Nawaz
Committee was an enquiry committee established in 1956 to investigate the supposed death of Indian
Subhas Chandra Bose in August 1945. The Committee included Shah Nawaz Khan.
36. States Reorganisation Commission
constituted by the Central Government of India under the States Reorganisation Act and consisted of Hon.
Fazal Ali, K.M. Panikker, and H.N. Kunzru. The Report submitted by the Committee in 1955 known as SRC
Report went in to the problems of Telangana and Andhra regions, and the arguments for and against the
merger of two regions.