Arjun Ram Meghwal replaces Kiren Rijiju as law minister
What's the story
In a cabinet shuffle, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture, Arjun Ram Meghwal has been appointed as the Minister of Law and Justice, replacing Kiren Rijiju. Rijiju will now take over the Ministry of Earth Sciences. A former IAS officer and Bikaner MP, Meghwal was earlier the Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.
Context
Why does this story matter?
It is not clear why Rijiju has been removed from the law ministry. However, Rijiju had crossed swords with the judiciary by making public comments against the Supreme Court's collegium system, calling it opaque. While he was the law minister, he called for scrapping the collegium system and proposed that the central government have a say in the judges' appointments.
Details
Meghwal to handle law ministry in addition to existing portfolios
Meghwal, who has been assigned the independent charge as the Minister of State in the law ministry, will handle the charge in addition to his existing portfolios, as per the official communique. Notably, Rijiju, the Arunachal Pradesh West MP, succeeded BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad as law minister in 2021. Opposition leaders speculated if recent legal setbacks for the Centre prompted the shuffle.
Statement
Some retired judges part of anti-India gang: Rijiju
Earlier, Rijiju alleged that "some retired judges" were part of an "anti-India gang," following which the opposition said he was talking like an "outlaw" and asked him to give proof instead of threats. In January this year, he wrote a letter to Chief Justice (CJI) DY Chandrachud suggesting that the collegium, which appoints judges, should include government representatives.
NJAC
SC scrapped NJAC, Dhankar called it breach of parliamentary sovereignty
The BJP government has been accused of trying to control judicial appointments in its favor by enacting the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Bill, which was scrapped by the SC. The government has also been accused of sitting on the collegium's recommendations for appointing judges. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar earlier criticized the SC for scrapping the NJAC, calling it a compromise of parliamentary sovereignty.