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By Vidya : Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, while speaking at a function in Mumbai on Tuesday, said the country is doing well and that the Narendra Modi government has done “nothing to undermine the judiciary’s independence”. He was answering a question from a law student about the independence of the judiciary.
“Independence of the judiciary cannot be seen in isolation. There has to be independence of the executive and independence of the legislature. Our Constitution has separation of powers, and every institution should respect the ‘Lakshman rekha’ or boundary set by the Constitution,” Rijiju said.
The minister, speaking at an event organised by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, sought to refute the narrative that the Centre was exerting pressure on the judiciary. “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,” Rijiju said.
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Targeting the political leaders who have charged the Modi-led government for pressurising the judiciary, Rijiju said, “Many are creating a narrative that the government is weakening the judiciary. They are going abroad and saying this. The left, the liberal group, which is actually the most illiberal. This is detrimental to development. Democracy will be strong only when the judiciary is independent. It is independent.”
To the question, Rijiju, in a lighter vein, also said a question could also be asked the other way around – whether the judiciary was interfering in the government’s work.
Talking about the increasing pendency of court cases, Rijiju said, “There are around five crore cases pending in our country. This means there is a delay in justice, which in turn means five crore injustices are being done to the people of our country.”
Jumping into the debate of usage of Indian languages in courts, Rijiju said that the Modi government is a “Rashtravadi Raj” and only wants people not to forget their roots, he said. “Learning a new language or speaking in English is fine but a person needs to think in their Hindustani language,” he said, adding that Indian courts should start using local language. He insisted that courts upgrade technology usage and that budget for the judiciary was not an issue.
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“The Narendra Modi government has done everything to strengthen the judiciary. This is why, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, courts in India did not stop functioning,” Rijiju said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, present at the event, urged Rijiju to look into the proposal to rename the Bombay High Court as Mumbai High Court.
His government recently decided to allot land in suburban Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) for a new high court building and would also consider allotting land in neighbouring Thane district for an academy for law students, he said. “We know how important the judiciary is. Whenever we get any requests for manpower or infrastructure (for the judiciary), we pass the proposal without wasting any time,” Shinde said.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and others, including Rijiju and Shinde, promised the lawyers that the state would be looking into the proposed Advocates Protection and Welfare Act.
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