Exit door shown: What cost Kiren Rijiju dear?

Rijiju faced backlash from 300 lawyers for his controversial remark that some retired judges are part of an anti-India gang.

New Delhi: Finally, Kiran Rijiju had to pay the price of being too vocal against the judiciary as he was shunted from Law Ministry and reallocated in the Ministry of Earth Science on Thursday. Parliamentary Affairs and Culture Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has been assigned the independent charge as Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice.

With this cabinet reshuffle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given a very clear message to all his cabinet colleagues that they should refrain from making comments against institutions like the judiciary. Meghwal has been given the charge of law ministry in addition to already assigned two Ministries.

Making the announcement of the reallocation of portfolios, the President’s secretariat in a statement said, “The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has been pleased to direct the reallocation of portfolios among Ministers in the Union Council of Ministers. The portfolio of the Ministry of Earth Sciences will be assigned to Shri Kiren Rijiju. Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State was assigned the independent charge as Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice in addition to his existing portfolios, in place of Shri Kiren Rijiju.”

The reallocation of portfolios assumes significance as it took place before the next year’s general election. Significantly, the Assembly election in Rajasthan is also scheduled to take place later this year.

Sources in the BJP told ETV Bharat that Prime Minister Modi took the decision of shunting Rijiju from the law ministry following the fact that the minister who hails from Arunachal Pradesh was embroiled in controversy between lawmakers and judiciary.

Rijiju has recently made a controversial remark that some retired judges are part of an anti-India gang for their statements in the public domain. He had said that the Department of Justice does receive complaints about sitting as well as retired judges, “but it is only concerned with the appointment and service conditions of the sitting judges alone.”

Nearly 300 lawyers from across the country in an open letter have demanded that the minister should withdraw the comments.

“We, the undersigned lawyers practising in diverse courts around the nation, deprecate the unwarranted attack launched against retired judges of the Supreme Court of India by Union Law Minister Shri Kiren Rijiju, at a conclave telecast live by a media house. The allegations of anti-nationalism against people who have dedicated their lives to upholding the rule of law, and the naked threat of reprisals against them, marks a new low in the public discourse of our great nation,” the letter stated.

Among the signatories include senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Kapil Sibal, Arvind Datar, Iqbal Chagla, Janak Dwarakadas, Sri Hari Aney, Raju Ramachandran, Dushyant Dave, Indira Jaising, Rajshekhar Rao, and Sanjay Singhvi.

Taking up the issue, the opposition parties have also cornered the BJP led central government. “A Law Minister talking like an Outlaw. A Minister of Justice propagating Injustice. If this is not a threat to freedom AFTER speech what is?” Congress general secretary of communications Jairam Ramesh had said.

Trinamool Congress (TMC’s) Jawhar Sircar said that a minister can’t make this statement and get away. Referring to Rijiju’s statement, Sircar said, “Give proof. Don’t threaten. ‘(judges) will have to pay a price’. RSS didn’t participate in the Freedom Struggle. and Hindu Mahasabha supported the British. Don’t give us pro-India, anti-India gyan!”

It is worth mentioning that in the first term of the Modi government Rijiju was appointed as the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs. In the second term of the Modi government Rijiju was appointed as the Minister of State for Sports. He also served as the Minister of State for Minority Affairs before being given temporary charge of the Ayush ministry.