Arjun Ram Meghwal

Law minister Meghwal slams Congress for not giving Ambedkar his due

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday slammed the opposition Congress for not giving B R Ambedkar his due and allegedly ensuring his defeat in the first Lok Sabha elections. Addressing the media here, Meghwal credited Ambedkar with the creation of the Reserve Bank of India as well as the Finance Commission but lamented that the Congress "which talks of the Constitution, never gave Ambedkar the due he deserved. He claimed the Congress made supporters of Ambedkar vote twice on ballot papers, making it invalid which led to his defeat. He said Ambedkar wrote to the Election Commission about the way elections were held but the poll body did not act. Meghwal said Ambedkar's representation to the poll panel was now available. He said the Alipore Road residence of Ambedkar here was turned into a memorial by then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "But the Congress did nothing," he claimed. The minister also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the establishment of an ...

Lower courts have over 5,000 vacancies; no forward movement in AIJS: Govt

The subordinate and district courts face shortage of over 5,000 judges, while the 25 high courts have collective vacancies of over 360, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. In a written reply, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwwal also said the Supreme Court, with a sanctioned strength of 34 judges, including the chief justice of India, has two vacancies. Following the retirement of Justice D Y Chandrachud as the CJI and Justice Hima Kohli earlier, the top court has two vacancies. The minister also said that amid divergence of view among states and high courts, there is no forward movement in the creation of an all-India judicial service. He said as on November 21, the lower judiciary had a shortage of 5,245 judicial officers while the HCs were short of 364 judges. The sanctioned strength of the 25 HCs is 1,114 judges. Responding to a sub question, Meghwal noted that Article 312 of the Constitution provides for the establishment of an All India Judicial Service (AIJS), which will n

India's first Constitution Museum inaugurated at OP Jindal University

India's first Constitution Museum was inaugurated at the O P Jindal Global University here on Saturday by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Addressing a gathering at the varsity, Speaker Birla said this marks a historic milestone and credited the university's Chancellor Naveen Jindal, who is also a BJP MP, for doing such work. This museum will acquaint present and coming generations with our constitution, how it was framed and what discussions and debates took place then. He said India's Constitution is acting as a guide to the world. Notably, the museum is designed to provide a deep and engaging exploration of the Constitution's essential elements and key provisions for the citizens to know demonstrating how its values and ideals have shaped the nation. The visitor can immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of pre-independence India, through 360-degree visual spectacle. Through cutting-edge technology and multimedia storytelling, the exhibit unfol

Opposition cannot reinstate Article 370 in J-K, says Arjun Meghwal

National Conference, promised restoration of the Article in its manifesto

Centre notifies appointment of Chief Justices of eight High Courts

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointment of Chief Justices to eight High Courts, via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle

Meghwal questions WB govt over special courts for crimes against women

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Friday questioned the West Bengal government for establishing fast track special courts in only five to six districts to deliver swift justice for crimes against women. He said only recently, the state has sent fresh proposals to set up such courts in more districts. Talking to reporters here on the sidelines of an event, the minister said the rape-murder of a woman doctor in Kolkata was shameful. He said mistakes have been pointed out in the action taken after the incident, which even was tardy. "Matter came to the Supreme Court. Then (West Bengal Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter about the need for fast track courts. The scheme (for fast track special courts) already exists," he pointed out. He said except for five-six districts, the courts were not set up (in West Bengal). "Now their proposals have been received for some districts. People of Bengal, doctors across the country are agitated about the incident. "The attitude o

President Murmu unveils new flag, insignia of Supreme Court: What it means

During the two-day National Conference of District Judiciary, President Murmu called for a change in the 'culture of adjournments' in the judiciary

Meghwal calls for breaking 'taarikh pe taarikh' perception about judiciary

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Sunday called for collective efforts to break the common perception that justice delivery system in India suffers from "taarikh pe taarikh culture" and asserted such efforts will strengthen the trust factor among citizens. He also proposed a critical analysis of 'aging of pending litigation'. The minister said aging analyses and clubbing of similar cases can help reduce pendency in the courts and lauded some of the high courts for putting such a system in place. Addressing the valedictory session of national conference of district judiciary here in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, Meghwal said his ministry has proposed a target of "justice for all". The programme proposes affordable, speedy and technology-enabled citizen-centric justice at doorstep for the people. "It is the collective responsibility of all those present at the programme to break the common perception that the justice delivery system has a taarikh pe taarikh culture," he

Improve skills to avoid mistakes in bill drafting: LM Meghwal to officials

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Wednesday stressed the need to have strong communication skills, especially in his ministry as he cited mistakes in the draft women's reservation bill which resulted in officials sitting past midnight to rectify the flaws. He said communication skills have a major role in the legislative department which helps ministries draft bills, ordinances and key policy documents. Small mistakes in the application of commas and full stops can create problems, he said. "We saw this in Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women's reservation bill). There were so many mistakes. We had to make officials sit late in the night... perhaps till 2 am... this is not what was said, how did you reach such a conclusion (such issues were pointed out)... you have to understand and learn the communication part more," he told a gathering of legislative department officials. He was addressing officials after a motivational speech delivered by an expert. Responding to certain ...

Meghwal accuses Oppn of creating confusion over creamy layer observation

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has accused the opposition of creating confusion among people over the Supreme Court "observation" on creamy layer among SCs and STs, and asserted that the Constitution given by B R Ambedkar has no provision of a creamy layer. In an interview to PTI Videos, he said the the BJP-led NDA government will follow Ambedkar's Constitution and will continue the reservation system for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as provided in it. Meghwal noted that though the opposition is aware that the top court had only made an "observation" on creamy layer, it is trying to create confusion among people. On Saturday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had said that the idea of denying reservation to SCs and STs on account of the creamy layer concept is "condemnable" He also said the government should have brought a legislation in Parliament to nullify the part of the recent Supreme Court judgement that talks about the issue. Meghwal underlined that the top cou

No plan for law on electoral bonds for political funding: Law minister

There are no plans to bring a law on electoral bonds for funding of political parties, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. The Lower House was also told that no proposal for funding of political parties through the Election Commission was under consideration of the government. In a written reply, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal replied in the negative on whether the government had any plan to bring a law regarding electoral bonds for political party funding. He was also asked whether an alternative or a substitute was being considered for funding of political parties to contest Lok Sabha and assembly elections. He said no such proposal was under consideration of the government. Responding to a separate question, Meghwal said no proposal was under consideration of the government to fund political parties through the Election Commission. In February, the Supreme Court annulled the electoral bonds scheme for political funding, saying it violated the constitutional right to freedom

SC case backlog soars 35% in 5 yrs, high and subordinate courts hit hardest

mIn the 23 high courts across the nation, pending cases have risen from 4.68 million in 2019 to over 6.2 million in 2023, a jump of more than 1.5 million cases, reflecting a 33% increase

Over 50 mn cases pending in courts; max 11.8 mn in UP's lower courts

More than five crore cases are pending in various courts across India, with a maximum of over 1.18 core in the subordinate courts of Uttar Pradesh, according to the government's written reply in the Lok Sabha. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said while 84,045 cases are pending in the Supreme Court, 60,11,678 were pending in the various high courts. District and subordinate courts are the biggest contributors, with 4,53,51,913 cases pending with them, according to the minister. Meghwal said several reasons lead to the pendency of cases, including the availability of physical infrastructure and supporting court staff, the complexity of facts involved, the nature of evidence, and the cooperation of stakeholders, including the bar, investigation agencies, witnesses and litigants. Proper application of rules and procedures also plays a key role, he said. Other factors that lead to delays in the disposal of cases include lack of prescribed time frame by courts for disposal of various kin

SC to regain full strength as Centre notifies appointments of two judges

The Supreme Court will function with its sanctioned strength of 34, including the Chief Justice of India, after the swearing-in of Justice N Kotiswar Singh and Justice R Mahadevan

Law minister signs national litigation policy document after taking charge

Document to be sent to Cabinet for deliberation

Delhi Metro unveils train exclusively wrapped to celebrate Republic Day

The Delhi Metro on Thursday unveiled a train exclusively wrapped to celebrate the 75th Republic Day, officials said. The special train was flagged off from the Mandi House Metro Station on the Violet Line by Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Managing Director Vikas Kumar. In a post on X, the DMRC said, "A metro train specially wrapped to celebrate the 75th Republic Day was formally pressed into service today from Mandi House Metro station on the Violet Line in the presence of Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of Law and Justice, and DMRC MD Vikas Kumar." The minister signed on the decorated train and also interacted with specially-abled children who were a part of the event, it said. The Violet Line runs between Kashmere Gate in Delhi and Ballabhgarh in Haryana. The DMRC on Wednesday facilitated a metro ride for 100 people from tribal communities representing every state and Union Territory of India, the statement said. "They travelled from

HC collegiums yet to send recommendations for 201 judges' vacancies: Govt

Eighty-one of the 123 proposals sent by high court collegiums for appointment of judges are at various stages of processing with the government, Parliament was informed on Friday. The remaining 42 proposals are under the consideration of the Supreme Court Collegium, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. He also said recommendations are yet to be received from the high court collegiums regarding the remaining 201 vacancies. "As on December 12, 123 proposals are at various stages of processing. Out of these 123 proposals, 81 proposals are at various stages of processing in the government. Forty-two proposals are under consideration with the SC collegium," Meghwal said. According to the law ministry's website, as on December 1, of the sanctioned strength of 1,114 judges for the 25 high courts, there were 324 vacancies. According to the established mechanism, the chief justice of a high court initiates a proposal to fill vacancies of ..

India's judge-population ratio stands at 21: Law Minister tells LS

While the Law Commission had recommended a target of 50 judges per million people 36 years ago, India has 21 judges per million people, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. To calculate the judge-population ratio, the Law Ministry used the Census 2011 population data (1210.19 million) and the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court, 25 high courts and district and subordinate courts in 2023, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said in a written reply. "As per the target recommended by Law Commission's 1987 report recommending 50 judges per million population, presently the judge-population ratio in the country works out to be approximately 21 judges per million population," the minister said. On the timeline to bridge the gap, the minister said the increase in the number of judges in the higher judiciary is a continuous and collaborative exercise between the Executive and the Judiciary. In case of district and subordinate courts, the need for appropriate number of judges and

Govt in process of clearing 112 names HC judges: Law Minister Meghwal

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday told the Rajya Sabha that the government is in the process of filling up 112 vacant posts of High Court judges. Appointment of judges in higher judiciary is a collaborative and integrated process involving the executive and the judiciary. It requires consultation and approval from various constitutional authorities, he said during the Question Hour in the Upper House. Meghwal said the total sanctioned strength of high court judges is 1,114 out of which 790 posts are filled while 234 are vacant, he said. Different High Court Collegiums have recommended 292 names out of which, 110 have been appointed while 112 are in the process, the law minister added. He told the House that the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court is 34 and all of them are filled up as of now. Meghawal also mentioned that the Narendra Modi government raised the sanctioned strength of judges for both the High Courts and the Supreme Court. During the UP

Result of law and order collapse: Meghwal on murder of Karni Sena chief

Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi was shot dead by unidentified bike-borne criminals in Jaipur on Tuesday