Co-operative federalism and law reform

India's Constitution does not leave law-making to a single authority. Its Seventh Schedule divides subjects into three lists: the Union List, on which Parliament legislates; the State List, on which State legislatures legislate; and the Concurrent List, on which both may make laws. This division is the legal skeleton of Indian federalism. It also means that reforming the law is rarely the job of one body alone.

The 23rd Law Commission of India chose this theme for a national conference held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 22 October 2026. It brought together State Law Commissions and similar bodies, jurists, former judges, scholars, policymakers, lawyers and teachers of law. The Vice-President of India was to inaugurate it, in the presence of the Union Minister of State for Law and Justice.

The idea behind 'co-operative federalism' is that the Union and the States, though each has its own field, can work together rather than in isolation. The conference set out to strengthen coordination among the bodies that review and propose changes to laws, while respecting the autonomy of the States, so that reform answers both national and regional needs.

Two sessions gave the discussion its shape. The first asked why laws need continuous review — because society, the economy and technology keep changing — and how such reform should be done: through accessible and justice-oriented changes, periodic review of statutes, and research. The second looked at law reform within a system of divided legislative powers, and at ways for national and State institutions to consult each other more, while keeping State laws responsive to local needs.

The underlying point is practical. A reform proposed at the national level may touch a subject on which only a State can legislate; a State reform may sit uneasily beside a central law on a concurrent subject. Regular consultation between the Law Commission of India and its State counterparts is one way to find such problems early, before they reach the courts.