Over 300 Lawyers Condemn Kiren Rijiju for Accusing Retired Judges of Being “Anti-India Gang”

New Delhi (India), March 30, 2023: Over 300 lawyers from the Supreme Court and high courts have criticized India’s Union Law Minister, Kiren Rijiju, for his recent statement that accused some retired judges of being “part of an anti-India gang.”

In an open letter, the lawyers demanded that Rijiju withdraw his comments, calling them an “unwarranted attack” on retired judges who have dedicated their lives to upholding the rule of law. The lawyers also condemned Rijiju’s threat of reprisals against those he accuses of working against the country.

Rijiju made the controversial statement during the India Today Conclave in New Delhi on March 18, where he claimed that there was a “calibrated effort” to undermine the Indian judiciary and turn it against the government. He accused a few retired judges and activists of being part of an “anti-India gang” and trying to make the Indian judiciary play the role of the opposition party.

The lawyers’ open letter, which was signed by 323 legal practitioners, including senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Kapil Sibal, and Indira Jaising, among others, said that Rijiju’s statement “transgressed all limits of constitutional propriety.”

The letter added that as a minister of law and justice, Rijiju is sworn to uphold and bear true allegiance to the Constitution and has a duty to protect the judicial system, the judiciary, and the judges, both past and present.

The controversy has stirred a heated debate about the role of retired judges in India’s judicial system and their right to voice their opinions on matters of public interest. However, the lawyers’ letter made it clear that Rijiju’s comments were an attack on the judiciary’s independence and an attempt to stifle dissent. It remains to be seen whether the Union Law Minister will retract his statements in response to the lawyers’ demands