'Criticism Of Govt Not Anti-India': 300 Lawyers Urge Minister Kiren Rijiju To Withdraw Remarks On Retd Judges

Rijiju had said that a few retired judges, who are 'part of the anti-India gang', are trying to make the judiciary play the role of Opposition party.

Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju

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New Delhi: Over 300 advocates, including those from the Supreme Court and various high courts, on Wednesday slammed Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju who said some retired judges have become a "part of the anti-India gang" and urged him to withdraw his remarks. 

In a strongly-worded statement issued by 323 advocates, they said the Union Minister’s speech had "obliquely referred" to a few retired judges as being part of an "anti-India gang" and he "pointedly threatened" those retired Supreme Court judges that "no one will escape" and "those who work against the country will pay the price".

"By threatening retired judges, the law minister is clearly sending a message to every citizen, that no voice of dissent will be spared," the statement said.

Criticising his remarks, the statement read, “We unhesitatingly state that critics of the government are every bit as patriotic as those in government and critics who highlight failures or shortcomings in the administration, or violations of constitutional norms, are exercising an inherent and most basic human right...”

The statement further said that such "hectoring and bullying" were unbecoming of the minister's office and that criticism of government is neither unpatriotic, nor "anti-India".

Notably, speaking at the India Today Conclave on March 18, Kiren Rijiju had said that a few retired judges and some activists, who are "part of the anti-India gang" are trying to make the Indian judiciary play the role of the Opposition party.

"The nation owes a debt of gratitude to our retired judges, and it matters not whether one might individually agree or disagree with the views of an individual judge, whether serving or retired," the statement said, adding, the law minister should "publicly withdraw his remarks and refrain from making such remarks in the future".

The signatories to the statement included senior advocates from Supreme Court, advocates and counsels from Delhi High Court, Bombay High Court, Guwahati High Court, Gujarat High Court, Himachal Pradesh High Court, Jharkhand High Court, Karnataka High Court, Kerala High Court, Madras High Court, Manipur High Court, Meghalaya High Court, Patna High Court, Punjab and Haryana High Court, Rajasthan High Court, Telangana High Court and Uttar Pradesh High Court.