Law Ministry Only Concerned with Appointment and Service Conditions of Higher Judiciary: Kiren Rijiju

New Delhi (India), April 7, 2023: Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju informed Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the law ministry only deals with complaints regarding the appointment and service conditions of serving members of the higher judiciary. He was responding to a question regarding whether some former judges of the Supreme Court are part of an “anti-India gang.”

Rijiju stated that “complaints regarding serving and retired judges are received by the Department of Justice from time to time, but the ministry is only concerned with the appointment and service conditions of sitting judges. Complaints related to retired judges are not handled by the Department of Justice.”

Accountability in the higher judiciary is maintained through an “in-house mechanism,” he said. The chief justice of India is authorized to receive complaints against the conduct of judges of the Supreme Court and the chief justices of the high courts, and the chief justices of the high courts can receive complaints against the conduct of high court judges.

“The complaints and representations received by the Department of Justice are forwarded to the Chief Justice of India or the Chief Justice of the concerned high courts for appropriate action,” Rijiju added.

The Law Minister’s statement comes amid rumors of a rift between the government and the judiciary and questions regarding the government’s approach towards dissenting voices.