Law Department, Kerala
Earlier, the new rules were promulgated by the Travancore Maharajas in the form of Chattavariyolas to facilitate administration of justice. The drafts of the acts and proclamations were prepared by the Diwans and submitted to the rulers who exercised the principles and details involved in them before promulgation. Later the Travancore-Cochin Government established the Law Department. The Law Department was a part of the State Secretariat Service and was under the Election Department, the Office of the Advocate General and Official Trustee. The work of publication of the Acts and the Ordinances so far are performed by the Travancore-Cochin Government and was taken over by the Law Department from the year 1951 onwards. Today, the Secretariat has three main sections - Administrative Secretariat, Finance Secretariat and Law Secretariat. The Law Department functions in the Law Secretariat. The Law Department takes decisions and provides legal advice on legal matters of the State Government. The Law Department is responsible for the general administration of the Department, the administration of the Advocate General's Office, the administration of the Human Rights Commission, the administration of personal laws, the administration of the Court Fee and Suit Valuation Act, the administration of the Kerala Advocate Clerk Welfare Fund Act, the administration of the Kerala Legal Benefit Fund Act, the formulation of laws and consolidation of laws, legal advice to other departments of the Secretariat, conveyancing, translation of laws, publication of Central and State laws, and appointment of notaries and government lawyers. In addition, the Secretariat Law Department Library functions as a reference library for the officers of the Law Department.
