From GST To Mental Healthcare: Here Are The Laws That Were Notified In 2017

The year 2017 saw enactment of around 20 new laws and more than a dozen amendments to existing laws. Here is a list covering most of these legislations:New LawsThe Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017The Act replaced the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Ordinance, 2016 promulgated on December 30, 2016. It was passed with the aim of eliminating the “possibility of running a parallel economy” using the old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes that had been demonetized.Finance Act, 2017The Act brought into force the mandatory requirement of quoting Aadhaar for filing Income Tax returns by introducing Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Section 139AA was, however, partially stayed by the Supreme Court subject to the outcome of the Constitution bench judgment in the main Aadhaar case.Besides, the Act prohibits cash payments above a certain payment, merges quasi judicial tribunals, restructures the appointment of members to certain judicial tribunals and amends the rules on the funding of political parties. Soon after its enactment, several petitions were filed before the Courts across the country challenging the Act's provisions on Tribunals. Thereafter, in December, 2017, the Apex Court had tagged all such Petitions together for joint hearing.The Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017The Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017The Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017The Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Act, 2017The four Acts were passed in the budget sessions to bring the Goods and Service Tax (GST) into law, taking the country a step closer to its biggest indirect tax reform. The GST subsumed the central excise, service tax, Value Added Tax (VAT) and other local levies to create an uniform market.The Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, provides for the levy of the Central Goods and Services Tax by the Centre on the supply of goods and services within the boundary of a state.The Integrated GST Act deals with the levy of Integrated Goods and Services Tax by the Centre on inter-state supply of goods and services.The Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Act provides for compensation to the States for the loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of the GST.The Union Territory GST Act makes a provision for levy and collection of tax on intra-state supply of goods, services or both by the Union Territories.The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017The Act intends to change the way we look at mental health and ensure that the law is in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). It creates a rights-based framework for mentally ill persons. While the Mental Health Act, 1987 provided only general protection against indignant or cruel treatment, Chapter V of the new Act operates as a charter of rights for persons with mental illness, consolidating and safeguarding their basic human rights. It also decriminalizes attempt to suicide and presumes such person to be suffering from severe stress.The Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017The Act seeks to prevent and control the spread of HIV and AIDS, prohibits discrimination against persons with HIV and AIDS, provides for informed consent and confidentiality with regard to their treatment, places obligations on establishments to safeguard their rights, and creates mechanisms for redressing their complaints. Salient features of the Act can be read here.The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Act, 2017The Act establishes a legal framework to consolidate the existing laws relating to admiralty jurisdiction of courts, admiralty proceedings on maritime claims, arrest of vessels and related issues. It also aims to replace archaic laws which are hindering efficient governance. To this end, it confers admiralty jurisdiction on High Courts located in coastal States of India and this jurisdiction extends up to territorial waters.Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017The Act declares 20 existing Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) as institutions of national importance and confers on them the power to grant degrees.The Footwear Design and Development and Development Institute Act, 2017The Act declares the Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI) as an ‘Institute of National Importance’ under Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. The functions of the Institute include: (i) developing and conducting courses and research related to footwear and leather products’ design and development; (ii) granting degrees, diplomas and certifications; (iii) functioning as a national resource centre for curriculum development, training and skill development in the leather sector; and (iv) developing an international centre in the leather sector.The Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2017The Act declares 15 existing Indian...

From GST To Mental Healthcare: Here Are The Laws That Were Notified In 2017

Apoorva Mandhani

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