Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday slammed some of the retired judges for their anti-India activities while addressing the India Today Conclave. He said that there were a few judges who were part of an anti-India gang trying to turn the judiciary against the government.
“Recently there was a seminar on accountability of judges which somehow turned into how the executive is affecting the judiciary. There are few judges who are activists and part of anti-India gang which is trying to turn judiciary against government like the opposition parties. Judges are not part of any political affiliation and how can these people say that the executive needs to be reigned in. How can they say this?” he said.
Rijiju said that the topic of the seminar was ‘accountability in the appointment of judges’, but the discussion the entire day was on how the government is taking over the Indian judiciary. He said that there is a small number of retired judges and activists who want the judiciary to play the role of an opposition party.
#IndiaTodayConclave 2023https://t.co/BtQDr3GXUI
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) March 18, 2023
He said that the judiciary can’t play the role of opposition because the judiciary is neutral.
The law minister stressed that nobody would get away, and those who turned against the country would pay a price. He also slammed the Congress party and said that the Collegium system was a mistake made by the Congress administration and that the Central government must adhere to it till a new system is put in place.
Rijiju said that the appointment of judges is not judicial work, it is administrative, and as per the constitution, judges are to be appointed by the president in consultation with the CJI or the Chief Justice of respective high courts. He said that the system of Collegium system came due to misdeeds of the Congress party, but this is not a permanent system.
Rijiju further discussed the issue of vacations, stating that judges need time off because they handle 50–60 cases every day in addition to their administrative responsibilities. “They have a huge mental pressure and need to go for vacation etc” he said.
While referring to the recent judgement on the appointment of the Election Commission, the minister said that the judges are getting involved into lots of administrative work, while they should be primarily involved in judicial work.
Kiren Rijiju also tore into Rahul Gandhi for his comments regarding Indian democracy. He said that Rahul Gandhi uses the same language that the anti-India propagandists use, that democracy is in danger in India. He said that Rahul Gandhi speaks the most, and he complaints that he is not allowed to speak.
The Union Law Minister, Kiren Rijiju, highlighted an interview with Justice RS Sodhi (Retd. ), a former judge of the Delhi High Court, on his Twitter account in January, during a dispute between the government and the judiciary over the collegium system for choosing judges.
Sodhi in his interview with the Editor of ‘Law Street Bharat’ had remarked that for the first time, the Supreme Court had hijacked the Constitution to the degree that they (the Judges) have opted to nominate themselves, denying the function of the government.
Rijiju quoted the interview and tweeted, “Voice of a Judge… Real beauty of Indian Democracy is- its success. People rule themselves through their representatives. Elected representatives represent the interests of the People & make laws. Our Judiciary is independent and our Constitution is Supreme.”
The Minister agreed with the retired Judge and stated, “Actually the majority of the people have similar sane views. It’s only those people who disregard the provisions of the Constitution and mandate of the people who think that they are above the Constitution of India.”
Meanwhile, he stressed that there can be some sort of regulation on how the holidays are charted out for the courts. Rijiju also said there he has never encroached the territory of the judiciary and denied any events of confrontation between the government and the Supreme Court.
