Company : Sol Infotech Pvt. Ltd. Website : www.courtkutchehry.com WEST BENGAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (ABOLITION) ACT, 1969 20 of 1969 [25th July, 1969] CONTENTS 1. Short title and commencement 2. Definitions 3. Abolition of the Council 4. Amendment of Article 168 5. Amendment of Act 43 of 1950 6 . Bepeal of Delimitation of Council Constituencies (West Bengal) Order, 1951 7. Provision as to pending Bills 8. Power to adapt laws 9. Power to construe laws WEST BENGAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (ABOLITION) ACT, 1969 20 of 1969 [25th July, 1969] An Act to provide for the abolition of the Legislative Council of the State of West Bengal and for matters supplemental, incidental and consequential thereto. BE it enacted by Parliament in the Twentieth Year of the Republic of India as follows: 1. Short title and commencement :- (1) This Act may be called THE WEST BENGAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (ABOLITION) ACT, 1969. (2) It shall come into force on such date1 as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint. 1. The date appointed is 1-8-1969 See Gaz. of Ind., 28-7-1969, Pt. II, S. 3 (i), Ext. p. 549. 2. Definitions :- In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, (a) "appropriote Government" means, as respects a law relating to a mat- ter enumerated in List 1 in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution, the Central Government, and as respects any other law, the State Gov- ernment; (b) "article" means an article of the Constitution; (c) "Council" means the Legislative Council of the State of West Bengal; (d) "law" includes any enactment, ordinance, regulation, order, by- laws, rule, scheme, notification or other instrument having the force of law in the whole or any part of the State of West Bengal; (e) "Legislative Assembly" means the Legislative Assembly of the State of West Bengal. 3. Abolition of the Council :- (1) The Legislative Council of the State of West Bengal is hereby abolished. (2) On the abolition of the Council every member thereof shall cease to be such member. 4. Amendment of Article 168 :- In sub-clause (a) of clause (1) of Article 168, for the words "Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal", the words "and Uttar Pradesh" shall be substituted. 5. Amendment of Act 43 of 1950 :- In the Representation of the People Act, 1950, (a) in the Third Schedule, entry No. 9 relating to West Bengal shall be omitted; (b) in the Fourth Schedule, the heading "West Bengal" and the entries thereunder shall be omitted. 6. Bepeal of Delimitation of Council Constituencies (West Bengal) Order, 1951 :- The Delimitation of Council Constituencies (West Bengal) Order, 1951, is hereby repealed. 7. Provision as to pending Bills :- (1) A Bill pending in the Council im- mediately before the commencement of this Act which has not been passed by the Legislative Assembly shall lapse on the abolition of the Council. (2) A Bill pending in the Council immediately before the commencement of this Act which has been passed by the Legislative Assembly shall not lapse on the abolition of the Council, but on such abolition shall be deemed to have been passed before such commencement by both Houses of the Legislature of the State of West Bengal in the form in which it was passed by the Legisla- tive Assembly. (3) If a Bill which having been passed by the Legislative Assembly is, before the commencement of this Act, either rejected by the Council or pass- ed by the Council with amendments, the Legislative Assembly may, after such commencement, pass the Bill again with or without such amendments, if any, as have been made by the Council and the Bill so passed shall be deemed to be a Bill introduced in and passed by the Legislative Assembly after the commencement of this Act. 8. Power to adapt laws :- T he appropriate Government may, before the expiration of one year from the commencement of this Act, by order make such adaptations and modifications of any law made before such commence- ment, whether by way of repeal or amendment as may be necessary or expe- dient in consequence of the abolition of the Council under section 3 , and thereupon every such law shall have effect subject to the adaptations and modification so made. 9. Power to construe laws :- Notwithstanding that no provision or in- sufficient provision has been made under section 8 for the adaptation or modi- fication of a law made before the commencement of this Act, any court, tri- bunal or authority required or empowered to enforce such law may construe the law in such Manner, without affecting the substance, as may be necessary or proper on account of the abolition of the Council, in regard to the matter before the court, tribunal or authority.