Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has said that independence of the judiciary did not mean that it was anti-government.
Speaking at the Central Government Law Officers’ Conference in Bhubaneswar, the Minister said the Indian judiciary could never be forced to play the role of an opposition party, although ‘some’ people wanted it to do so.
He said some people wanted to force the judiciary to play the role of an opposition party, which the Indian judiciary would never accept and would itself resist such forceful attempts. This would never happen, asserted Rijiju.
Alleging that a particular group wanted the judiciary to take up certain executive matters, the Minister said he was recently amazed to witness a seminar by a group of people with a particular mindset, in which the discussion revolved around the government attacking the Indian judiciary.
The Minister asked the gathering to give one instance when the present government had disregarded the Indian judiciary. He said nobody could give any instance, since the present dispensation had never indulged in such tactics.
He lamented the personal attacks made on judges and alleged abuses hurled on them in the social media. Rijiju called it an unfortunate event, stating that as the Minister for Law and Justice, he personally wanted the Judiciary to remain aloof and far away from public criticism.
Stating that criticism of government in a democracy was welcome, but extending the same liberty to the judiciary was not the right thing or a good sight.
Rijiju further said that governments being questioned in a democracy was welcome, but the judiciary must not come under any kind of accusations or attacks.
The legal fraternity and the citizens should resist from making ‘mischievous’ efforts to malign the Indian judiciary and the ruling government at the Centre, he added.