Law Minister reshuffle: Arjun Ram Meghwal, the new Minister of Law and Justice of India

In a Union Cabinet reshuffle, The Minister of Law and Justice of India, Kiren Rijiju, was replaced by Arjun Ram Meghwal and was shifted to the Ministry of Earth Sciences portfolio. In July 2021, Kiren Rijiju was appointed as the Minister of Law and Justice in the place of Ravi Shankar Prasad. Arjun Ram Meghwal while retaining his current portfolio (Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of State for Culture) will now have the additional responsibility of Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice. Arjun Ram Meghwal is the 35th Minister of Law and Justice and was awarded the best parliamentarian in 2013. In 2009, he was first elected to the Lok Sabha. Further, he was elected as the Minister of State for Water Resources, and Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs in 2016. In September 2017, he was appointed as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs. According to a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan, on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu reallocated portfolios among ministers in the Union Council of Ministers. This decision comes amid remarks given by Kiren Rijiju regarding the Collegium system of appointment. He said that the Collegium system of appointing judges was ‘opaque and not transparent’. In addition, while giving a speech at an event he stated that “It is a misunderstanding that the government is trying to put any kind of pressure on the judiciary. We are not only maintaining the judiciary’s independence but working to strengthen it.”