New Law Minister's First Comment On Judiciary-Government Relationship

Arjun Ram Meghwal, who replaced Kiren Rijiju as Union Law Minister on Thursday in a move that few saw coming, has denied the big reset was because of his predecessor's turbulent relationship with the judiciary.

"I want to thank the Prime Minister for his faith in me. The constitution teaches us everything we need to know. I will work according to that," he told NDTV.

To a question on whether he felt Mr Rijiju's abrupt transfer was because of his recent run-ins with the judiciary, Mr Meghwal said, "Not at all."

The Minister of State in charge of Parliamentary Affairs, who will now have Independent Charge of the Law Ministry, also denied his appointment was linked to the election in his home state of Rajasthan later this year.

"The executive and the judiciary have a cordial relationship, and it will stay cordial and constitutional. The boundaries are already there," Mr Meghwal said.

Mr Rijiju, known to be one of the government's most high-profile ministers and a troubleshooter, was moved to the relatively low-key Ministry of Earth Sciences, less than a year after he was promoted to the Law Ministry with cabinet status.

The change came at a time when the government and the Supreme Court have often not been on the same page on judges' appointments.

Mr Rijiju's brief term was controversial because of frequent run-ins between the government and the judiciary, and his open criticism of the Supreme Court over the collegium system of judges appointing judges.

On Thursday, Mr Rijiju posted a note for his former ministry, thanking Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, and all judges.

It has been been a privelege and an honour to serve as Union Minister of Law & Justice under the guidance of Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji. I thank honble Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, all Judges of Supreme Court, Chief Justices and Judges of High Courts, Lower… pic.twitter.com/CSCT8Pzn1q

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) May 18, 2023

Mr Rijiju, a three-term Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh, was Sports Minister when he was assigned to the Law Ministry on July 7, 2021, following the exit of Ravi Shankar Prasad.