PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 47
method by which the Central after the emergency had ended, could get the power to keep the controls alive and therefore, the Central Legislature approached the British Parliament which was then the only authority which could confer such power on the Central Legislature to make due provision in this matter, and Parliament, as the House will remember in
1946 passed an Act called the India (Central Government and Legislature) Act, 1946. Section 2 of that Parliamentary statute permitted the Dominion Legislature make laws with regard to the matters which it had done during that emergency. But what the parliamentary Statute did was that it gave the power to the Central Legislature one year only in the first instance.
Under the provisions of that Act, the Central Legislature passed Acts called the Essential Supplies (Temporary Powers) Act, 1946 and the Requisitioned Land (Continuance of Powers) Act, 1947. That law was passed in 1946. Under the Parliamentary Statute it continued in existence for one year ; that is up to 1947.
Now, Section 4 of the Parliamentary Statute as I said provided that the Centre could exercise these powers for one year. It also provided that the power could be extended by another year if the Governor-General so certified. Consequently those two Acts to which I made reference were continued in existence by another year by the fiat of the GovernorGeneral and we are now exercising those powers under that extension effected by the Governor-General. Now, under the extension effected by the Governor-General, these would continue up to 31st March 1948. The various Departments of the Government of India have been consulted in this matter in order to ascertain whether they could do without these controls after the 31st March 1948. I believe that almost all the Departments who are charged with the administrative control feel that they need at least one year more to continue these controls.
As I said, section 4 of the Parliamentary Statute gave the power for one year in the first instance, in the second instance one year on the fiat of the Governor-General, and thereafter