BENGALURU: Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, has questioned the motives behind retired judges speaking out against the government, calling it a disservice to the profession they once held. He added that such actions diminish the judiciary's credibility. His comments come days after 18 retired judges signed a joint statement condemning Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks regarding the opposition’s vice-presidential candidate, B. Sudershan Reddy, and the 2011 Salwa Judum judgment.
The retired judges had labelled Shah’s comments as "unfortunate" and a "prejudicial misinterpretation" of the 2011 Supreme Court ruling that disbanded the state-backed vigilante movement in Chhattisgarh. Shah had claimed that Reddy "supported Naxalism" by being part of that judgment, and that Left Wing Extremism could have been eliminated by 2020 had the verdict gone differently.
Speaking at the Karnataka State Advocate Associations' Office Bearers' Conference in Vidhana Soudha on Saturday, Rijiju stated that the Indian judiciary had often been accused of being compromised, citing past incidents that fuel such perceptions. "We recently saw a group of retired Supreme Court and High Court judges come together to speak against the Home Minister. What purpose does it serve when members of the judiciary engage in political disputes? It not only diminishes the dignity of the profession but also weakens public trust in the institution," the Union Minister said, indirectly suggesting that retired judges, no longer part of the judiciary, should refrain from making political statements.
Rijiju added that the role of judges should extend beyond the courtroom to strengthening public awareness, upholding trust, and safeguarding the judiciary's credibility in all arenas.
He also stressed that the Modi government had worked tirelessly to improve citizens' lives by removing archaic colonial-era laws and simplifying the legal system. "The IPC and CrPC were originally designed to punish people harshly. To reduce unnecessary burdens, our government has removed outdated provisions and enacted new laws that ensure justice rather than instilling fear. The colonial approach of controlling citizens through law has been replaced with a more people-centric model," he remarked.
The minister further clarified that the courts must allow arguments in regional languages, even in the Supreme Court. "It is the Supreme Court of India, not the Supreme Court of Delhi. No citizen should be denied justice because of language barriers. Technology and translation tools must be used to bridge that gap," he stated.
Rijiju also highlighted the importance of strengthening the lower judiciary, which is responsible for delivering primary justice to citizens. He recalled the government’s investment of Rs 7,000 crore in e-courts and judicial infrastructure, noting that technology would help speed up the disposal of pending cases. Acknowledging the pressure on judges, he added that digital reforms would make the justice delivery system more efficient.