PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 193
(21)
*COOCH-BEHAR (ASSIMILATION OF LAWS) BILL
The Minister of Law (Dr. Ambedkar) : I beg to move for leave to introduce a Bill to assimilate certain laws in force in Cooch-Behar to the laws in force in the rest of West Bengal.
Mr. Speaker : The question is :
“ That leave be granted to introduce a Bill to assimilate certain laws in force in Cooch-Behar to the laws in force in the rest of West-Bengal.”
The motion was adopted.
Dr. Ambedkar : I introduce the Bill.
** The Minister of Law (Dr. Ambedkar) : I beg to move :
“ That the Bill to assimilate certain laws in force in CoochBehar to the laws in force in the rest of West Bengal, be taken into consideration.”
This is a very simple and short Bill, but having regard to the experience which we have had in the last whole week, I hope that I will be fortunate enough to get this Bill through before the House rises this evening.
Sir, the object of the Bill is to extend certain central laws relating to matters lying in List I and II to Cooch-Behar. The Bill proposes to give the Central Government power to appoint a day by notification in the Gazette as to when these laws will come into operation. There is only one exception to these laws, and that is with regard to the Muslim shariat law. With regard to that, power is given to the West Bengal Government to appoint the day so that on the day appointed by it the Muslim shariat law will come into operation. This Bill would have been unnecessary had Cooch-Behar become a merged State before 1949, because the House will remember that by
*P. D., Vol. 5, Part II, 4th August 1950, pp. 291-292.
**P. D., Vol. 6, Part II, 1st December 1950, p. 1147.