Some Retired Judges Are 'Anti-India' And Trying To Make Judiciary Play The Role of Opposition Party: Law Minister Kiren Rijiju

Union law minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday accused a handful of retired ‘activist’ judges of trying to make the judiciary play the role of an opposition party, even to the extent of “going to the court and asking it to reign in the government”. While speaking about the alarmism in public discourse and criticism aimed at the government, Rijiju said, “When Rahul Gandhi or anyone else says that the Indian judiciary has been hijacked, or democracy is over in the country, the judiciary is dead, what do these statements mean?” In answer to his own question, he claimed that there was a ‘calibrated effort’ to undermine the Indian judiciary. “Not only does he use the same language, but also whatever he says is being propagated and publicised by loud voices within the same ecosystem.” “It is a few of the retired judges, few – maybe three or four – few of those activist, part of that anti-India gang, these people are trying to make Indian judiciary play role of opposition party. Some people even go to court and say that and please rein in the government, please change the policy of the government.” Alleging an insidious attempt by certain ‘anti-India’ factions of undermining the Indian judiciary with increasingly alarmist language, insinuating, among other things, that judicial independence had been compromised, he said: “People of India are with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and with our government.