Kiren Rijiju Out Of Law Ministry: Delay On UCC, Public Spat On Judiciary Could Be Likely Reasons

Kiren Rijiju, who had frequent run-ins with the Supreme Court over judicial appointments, was named as law minister on July 7, 2021.

Kiren Rijiju was removed as the Law Minister on May 18. ( Image Source :PTI )

In a major Cabinet reshuffle, Kiren Rijiju was removed as Law Minister on Thursday and moved to the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences. Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will replace him in the coveted portfolio. Rijiju was named as law minister on July 7, 2021. The Sports Minister and the Minister of State for Minority Affairs at that time, Rijiju had got the portfolio following the resignation of Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh was holding charge of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Meghwal is the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and the Minister of State for Culture. He has been assigned an independent charge as Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice in addition to his existing portfolios.

Reasons For Cabinet Reshuffle

Here are some of the reasons why the Union Minister was moved from his portfolio:

Pursuit Of Uniform Civil Code 

In a determined effort to establish a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), the Central Government has held multiple high-level meetings to deliberate on the matter. Notably, states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have already begun adopting the process of implementing UCC.

To expedite the nationwide implementation of UCC, the responsibility was entrusted to the Law Ministry. However, the process has encountered significant delays. According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was dissatisfied with the sluggish progress on this front. Sources told ABP Live, that Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who held the portfolio of Law and Justice, found himself at the receiving end of the Prime Minister's ire.

Public Run-In With Judiciary

Rijiju had frequent run-ins with the Supreme Court over judicial appointments. He had in November last year said the collegium system of making appointments in the apex court and high courts was "alien" to the Constitution. In January, he wrote to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud for the inclusion of government nominees in the collegium system.

The open public criticism of the Collegium system by Rijiju sparked significant displeasure and caused notable unease within the government. However, due to the impending Karnataka elections, Rijiju's removal as the Law Minister was postponed.

Sources reveal that the government had resolved to relieve Rijiju of his responsibilities as Law Minister immediately following the conclusion of the Karnataka elections. The decision was made approximately 15 days ago.