News Analysis India

Tag: Kiren Rijiju

  • Arunachal teen handed over to Indian Army by PLA: Law Minister Kiren Rijiju

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: China’s People’s Liberation Army has handed over the missing teenager from Arunachal Pradesh to the Indian Army, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Thursday.

    The 19-year-old Miram Taron of Jido Village in Upper Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh was found missing on January 18. In a tweet, the minister said due procedures are being followed including the boy’s medical examination.

    “The Chinese PLA has handed over the young boy from Arunachal Pradesh Miram Taron to Indian Army. Due procedures are being followed including the medical examination,” he wrote.

    On Tuesday, the Union minister, who represents the state in Lok Sabha, had said the Chinese side had conveyed to the Indian Army on January 20 that they had found a boy on their side and requested for further details to establish the identity.

    “To assist Chinese side in corroborating the identity, personal details and photo of the individual has been shared with the Chinese side by the Indian Army. Response from the Chinese side is awaited,” Rijiju had said in a the statement put out on social media.

    “Some people reported that Chinese PLA had taken him into their custody, it said. Rijiju said that since the individual was missing from an area close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian Army immediately approached the Chinese side on January 19, asking for assistance in tracing and return of the individual, in case he had strayed into the Chinese territory or PLA has taken him in their custody.

    The Chinese side had given an assurance that they would search for the individual and return him as per established protocol, the minister had said.

  • BJP national executive should speak on India-China border issues: Congress

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Questioning the BJP’s “silence” on border issues with China, the Congress on Sunday dubbed the ruling party as “pseudo nationalist” and asked if it would speak out the “truth” about the “threat on our borders” and China’s growing influence in the neighbourhood.

    Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera cited a news report about China getting active and building infrastructure in Chumbi valley which poses a serious threat to the Siliguri corridor that connects the northeastern states to the rest of the country.

    “Today we demand from the so-called national executive of this pseudo nationalists’ party to come out and say something on China and share with the country the deadline on when will you be able to push China back from our territory and what are you doing to reduce Chinese influence in our neighbourhood,” he told reporters.

    He said the developments in Afghanistan are only helping Pakistan and China, while India pays a price for whatever happens in its neighbourhood.

    “But, we don’t hear a word being spoken by this government,” he said.

    ”This is an occasion to ask the pseudo nationalist” whether they will open their mouth and say something on the growing threat from China across all our borders,” he asked at a press conference, after the BJP’s national executive meeting here.

    Earlier in the day, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju hit out at the Congress for allegedly quoting a foreign media report to question the “credibility” of the government on the India-China border issue.

    In a series of tweets, the BJP leaders claimed that “some mischievous media” wrote in bold that China has built a village inside Arunachal “and then slightly mentioned ‘at the area occupied by China in 1959’. What’s your purpose?”

    Rijiju said that “these people” deliberately don’t believe the Indian Army but quickly quoted a foreign story to “create a misleading headline to question the credibility of our government and strength of our army with a malicious motive to demoralise the nation.”

    He also once again posted a short video of the then defence minister AK Antony’s purported remarks on China in Lok Sabha during the Congress-led UPA rule.

    In a 2013 clip, Antony told the House that independent India had a policy for many years that the best defence is not to develop the border.

    An undeveloped border is safer than a developed border, the then defence minister said, adding that China on the other had improved its infrastructure on the border.

    The Congress had on Saturday sought an apology from Prime Minister Modi and asked him to “withdraw” his “clean chit” to China as it cited a Pentagon report that claims China has entered 4.5 km into Arunachal Pradesh.

    “Why is the Indian government silent. The prime minister does not open his mouth and does not listen to the experts, veterans and the opposition and instead gives a clean chit to China,” Khera asked on Sunday.

    “The massive price the country has paid due to this clean chit will go down in history as the biggest blunder of this prime minister,” he also said.

    He said that trade with China has increased by 67 percent since last year and claimed it reflected the BJP’s pseudo nationalism as “they are not concerned about the safety of our borders”.

    He also cited several instances of growing Chinese influence in the neighbourhood and said China has constructed a highway connecting the Bhutan and Nepal border and signed an MoU with Bhutan and tied up with it directly but the Indian government is silent.

    “China is active against our interests and is building ties with the Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka besides Pakistan and is active there, still the Government of India is silent, and is instead giving it a clean chit,”‘ the Congress leader alleged.

  • Centre likely to make fresh attempt to reach consensus with states for an all-India judicial service

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The central government is likely to make a fresh attempt at reaching a consensus with states to set up an all-India judicial service, official sources said on Sunday.

    The establishment of All-India Judicial Service (AIJS) is likely to be made part of the agenda of a proposed meeting between Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju and state law ministers in November, the sources in the government said.

    As of now, judicial infrastructure is the only announced agenda of the meeting.

    The central government feels that a properly framed All India Judicial Service is important to strengthen the overall justice delivery system of the country.

    All India Judicial Service (AIJS) will give an opportunity for induction of suitably qualified fresh legal talent through a proper all-India merit selection system.

    It will also address the issue of social inclusion by enabling suitable representation to marginalised and deprived sections of society, successive law ministers have said.

    A bill could be required to establish an all-India judicial service to recruit officers for subordinate courts through an entrance test.

    The provision of an all-India judicial service on the lines of the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service was mooted soon after Independence.

    The provision of AIJS was included in Article 312 of the Constitution through the 42nd amendment in 1976. But it would still require a bill to decide on its broad contours.

    At present, various high courts and state service commissions hold exams to recruit judicial officers.

    The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) could hold a standardised entrance test to recruit judges for lower courts.

    Since cases in lower courts are argued in local languages, there have been apprehensions about how a person from north India can hold hearings in a southern state.

    But the government is of the view that even IAS and IPS officers have served in different states overcoming the language barrier.

    The government believes that if such a service comes up, it would help create a pool of talented people who could later become a part of the higher judiciary — the 25 high courts and the Supreme Court.

  • Speedy, affordable delivery of justice legitimate expectation of people: Law Minister Rijiju 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Speedy and affordable delivery of justice is the “legitimate expectation” of the people and different organs of the State have a collective responsibility to ensure this, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Saturday.

    The law minister, while speaking at the launch of a six-week-long ‘Pan India Legal Awareness and Outreach Campaign’ of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), also stressed on the need for strengthening the legal education system in the country.

    President Ram Nath Kovind and Chief Justice of India Justice N V Ramana were also present at the campaign’s launch here.

    “I would like to remind us all that the speedy and affordable delivery of justice is the legitimate expectation of the people and is the collective responsibility of the different organs of the State,” the minister said, adding that it is important that all stakeholders work together to “deliver this mandate”.

    Rijiju said that access to justice has been recognised as the integral part of the legal framework prescribed under the Constitution and to achieve and realise this vision, better collaboration between the legal services authority, various departments of the government and the judiciary will be needed.

    He also said efforts should be made to ensure that mediation becomes the preferred mode of deciding commercial disputes as this will lessen the burden on courts and bring investments in the country, leading to ease of doing business and ease of living.

    “In this regard endeavours should be to restrict the adjournments to the bare minimum and mediation should be the preferred mode for litigation for commercial disputes, and this would not only lessen the burden of courts but also boost the confidence in the Indian legal system so that more investment can be attracted,” he said.

    Efforts should be made to strengthen legal education, and law colleges and universities have onerous responsibilities on their shoulders in this regard, Rijiju said, adding that “today’s law students are tomorrow’s lawyers and judges”.

    The Union minister said that the quality of education and training of law students will contribute to their success in the future and upholding the rule of law.

    He said “legal illiteracy” is one of the barriers for those who are not aware of their entitlements under the welfare laws and schemes of the central and state governments and this comes in the way of speedy justice.

    He said that contact with the justice system can be a challenging experience for many people due to its complexity.

    “For the poor and marginalised group, the justice system can be difficult to understand and navigate due to various obstacles such as lack of financial resources, awareness due to insufficient command of the local language, and long-distance to reach a legal service provider,” Rijiju said.

    He said that legal aid is the only means for such people to overcome the barriers and extolled NALSA and state legal authorities for performing exemplary roles in bringing justice to the doorstep of citizens.

    The minister said legal service authorities make people aware of their entitlement and duties on various laws and schemes relating to children, labourers, SC-ST, persons suffering from disabilities.

    “The legal service authorities touch upon the lives of disaster victims, victims of trafficking, acid attack, sexual exploitation.

    Each scheme is testimony to the fact that our legal service authorities are committed to help disadvantaged persons in realizing their legal rights and build a secure future,” he said.

    He said that more than 90 lakh people so far have been facilitated by the legal service authorities in accessing their need for food, medicine, and shelter.

    “They are also using their colossal network to reach out to people in remote areas. Particular work that I applaud is the Lok Adalat, especially the e-Lok Adalat,” Rijiju said.

    Rijiju, however, emphasised that there needs to be better collaboration between legal service authorities and various departments and agencies of the government to achieve the vision and build on the work accomplished so far.

    Judges of the Supreme Court Justice U U Lalit and Justice A M Khanwilkar were also part of the event.

  • Pendency of cases in courts has become challenge, says Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju Saturday said the pendency of cases has become a “challenge” and it is in the lower courts where “we really need to look with urgency”.

    Rijiju said the government will always try to ensure not only the independence of judiciary but also to support and strengthen it.

    Speaking at a function organised by the Bar Council of India (BCI) to felicitate Chief Justice of India N V Ramana, the law minister appreciated the Supreme Court and the judiciary for setting an example during the challenging times of COVID-19 pandemic by taking up so many cases and delivering several important judgements.

    “But before ending my remarks, I will say that people keep on raising one issue, the pendency of the cases, which has become such a challenge for all of us.

    We talk about the pendency in the Supreme Court and in the High Courts but if you look closely, it is in the lower courts where we really need to look with urgency,” he said.

    He said when a person from a humble background expects justice, he gives up everything for the sake of justice.

    “And if that justice gets delayed, then it is a big question mark on all of us,” he said, “So, we have to ensure that last mile person, the common man, must be given the priority when we talk about justice delivery mechanism in our country.

    ” Rijiju said that in the last Cabinet meeting, the government took some important decision for supporting infrastructure building, especially in the lower courts, and sanctioned at one go for the creation of critical infrastructure for court rooms, lawyers’ halls, toilets, digital rooms and others.

    He said the BCI’s pro-active steps particularly towards the advancement of legal education and legal profession is praise-worthy and he would support the bar council in all possible manner.

    “The government will always try to ensure not only the independence of the judiciary but also to support, to strengthen the Indian judiciary,” he said.

    He said he would also take all necessary steps on the issues related to lawyers which were highlighted by BCI chairman and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra during the function.

    Besides the CJI and Rijiju, several sitting apex court judges, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, office-bearers and members of several bar bodies from across the country were present during the function.

  • Rijiju congratulates newly-appointed SC judges, says historic moment for gender representation

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday congratulated the newly-appointed judges of the Supreme Court, saying it is a historic moment for gender representation as three women took oath as judges of the apex court.

    Earlier in the day, history was created in the Supreme Court as for the first time nine new judges took oath of office at one go, taking the working strength to 33.

    The new judges who were administered oath of office as apex court judges include Justices Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, Vikram Nath, Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari, Hima Kohli and B V Nagarathna.

    “Hearty congratulations to the nine newly appointed hon’ble Supreme Court Judges.

    It’s also a historic moment for gender representation as three women took oath as judges of the Supreme Court,” Rijiju wrote on Twitter.

    “My best wishes on assuming onerous responsibility and in their services to the nation,” he said.

  • Union Minister Kiren Rijiju calls for status quo by north-east states on interstate boundary issue

    By PTI

    ITANAGAR: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday called for maintaining status quo by the northeastern states on the interstate boundary issue and asked them to handle the matter at the local levels.

    The boundary dispute between several northeastern states are pending with the Supreme Court and it is the responsibility of every state to maintain status quo and avoid any form of violence over the issue, the union law and justice minister told a press conference here.

    Rijiju, who arrived here on a three-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh as part of ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the recently sworn-in union ministers, said that the Centre would make efforts to find a solution to the decades-old boundary disputes between the NE states. “Till then status quo should be maintained by each state and such issues should be resolved at local levels,” he said.

    “There should be no violence of any form. Every state has the responsibility to maintain status quo. We are not enemies – We are all citizens of the country. The seven sisters (NE states) should not treat each other as enemies,” the union minister said.

    “When there are no restrictions in the movement of people among the northeastern states, there should be no tension. The NE states should live in harmony as per the laid down mechanism,” Rijiju added. Referring to the reported killing of nearly 600 people in border clashes in NE till date, he said that such violence would shatter the prevailing peace in the region.

    Rijiju termed the recent violence between Assam and Mizoram “unfortunate” and said that every state should act in a balanced way and not make any provocative statements. Six Assam Police personnel were among seven persons killed in a clash on the Assam-Mizoram which also left over 50 people injured.

    “We are all united. United northeast is for united India. There should be bonhomie among the states of the region. If such issues (boundary disputes) continue, peace will be disrupted and the dream of a united India will fail,” he added.

    Responding to a question on bringing Arunachal pradesh, a frontier state, under the purview of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to protect the rights of its indigenous people and amending Article 371(H), Rijiju said that there are provisions in the Constitution and laws to ensure protection of inherited rights of the state’s tribal people.

    The Sixth Schedule consists of provisions for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. “Besides the constitutional provisions, the Citizenship Amendment Act has benefited Arunachal. According to the provisions of the Act, except for the indigenous tribal people no foreigners can get ST status in the state,” he said and referred to the Gauhati High Court order of 1996 and Supreme Court order of 2015 for granting citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees in the northeastern state.

    “The protection provided by the CAA is far more beneficial for the people of the state. It will protect the identity, culture and rights of the tribal population and nobody can disrupt it. If any more protection is required, it will be looked into. I am there as a representative of the state and I will never the state to face any problem,” he said.

    The state assembly had last year resolved to persuade the Centre to include the frontier state in the Sixth Schedule of Constitution to protect the rights of its indigenous population.

    The assembly had also resolved that the special provision with respect to the state be further strengthened by amending Article 371(H) by inserting provisions for protection of religious or social practices of the tribes of the state, customary law and procedure of its tribes, administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to customary law of the tribes and ownership and transfer of land and its resources.

    Arunachal Pradesh, which has borders with Bhutan, China and Myanmar, comes under the Fifth Schedule, which deals with provisions related to the administration and control of scheduled areas and scheduled tribes.

    Article 371(H) has special provisions in respect of the governor and the total seats in its assembly. During his three-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh, Rijiju will meet the family members of former BJP state presidents and interact with various community-based organizations and NGOs.

    BJP sources said that he is scheduled to inaugurate an oxygen plant funded under PM cares at Likabali in Lower Siang district.

  • Over 3.93 crore cases pending in lower, subordinate courts: Law Minister Kiren Rijiju

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Over 3.93 crore cases are pending in the lower and subordinate courts, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

    In a written reply, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said according to the information available on National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), as of July 30 this year, a total of 3,93,21,607 cases are pending in the lower and subordinate courts.

    These include 1,05,10,012 civil cases and 2,88,11,595 criminal cases. Of the total pending cases in lower courts, 1,02,001 are pending disposal for over 30 years. These include 37,423 civil and 64,578 criminal cases.

    Disposal of pending cases in courts is within the domain of the judiciary, he pointed out. “No time frame has been prescribed for disposal of various kinds of cases by the respective courts,” the minister informed the House adding the government has no role in the disposal of cases in courts.

    He also said that a total of 12 virtual courts have been set up in Delhi, Faridabad (Haryana), Pune and Nagpur (Maharashtra) Kochi (Kerala), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Guwahati (Assam) and Bengaluru (Karnataka) to try traffic offences.

    As of July 12, 2021, these courts have handled 75 lakh cases and realised Rs 160.05 crore in fines.

    The minister also said video conferencing emerged as the mainstay of the courts during the Covid-induced lockdown as physical hearings and normal court proceedings in the congregational mode were not possible.

    Since the Covid lockdown started, the district courts heard 74,15,989 cases, while the high courts heard 40,43,300 cases (totalling 1.14 crore) till June 30, 2021, using video conferencing only.

  • North East MPs Forum appeals to Assam, Mizoram to ensure peace along interstate border

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The North East MPs Forum on Friday appealed to the governments of Assam and Mizoram to ensure peace and tranquillity along their interstate border, and also urged the people of the region to remain united and live in a sisterly manner.

    In a joint statement, the North East MPs Forum Chairman and Union minister Kiren Rijiju and General Secretary and MP from Shillong Vincent H Pala also appealed to the two states to come together with the honest aim of resolving the long-pending border dispute.

    Five Assam Police personnel and a civilian were killed and over 50 others including a superintendent of police were injured when the Mizoram Police opened fire on a team of the Assam officials last Monday. The forum represents all parliamentarians from the region and takes up various issues concerning the region.

    “At this crucial juncture, on behalf of the Members of Parliament from the Northeast we appeal to both the parties and governments to adopt conciliatory steps to ensure peace and tranquillity along the border,” the statement said.

    Rijiju told PTI that the Northeast must remain together and live in a sisterly manner. The forum said the recent developments along the Assam-Mizoram border have been a cause of great anguish and regret to the people of the Northeast.

    “The loss of life and injury on both sides is a shocking and regrettable consequence, and we wish to extend our condolences to the affected families. At the same time, we must seize the right lessons from this unfortunate occurrence,” it said, and made an earnest appeal to both the states to come together with the honest aim of resolving the dispute.

    “We believe that for this resolution to be fruitful, the amicable participation of all stakeholders is crucial, and we look forward to seeing the restoration of cordial and harmonious neighbourly relations between the two states,” the statement said.

    Assam’s Barak Valley districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi share a 164-km long border with three Mizoram districts of Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit.

    After counter allegations of encroachment of territory over the past few weeks and skirmishes that escalated tensions between the two states, violent clashes were reported along the inter-state border that ended in the death of five Assam Police men and a civilian.

    The incidents came two days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah held talks with the chief ministers of eight northeastern states and underscored the need to resolve lingering border disputes.

  • New Law minister Kiren Rijiju meets predecessor Ravi Shankar Prasad

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Newly appointed Law Minister Kiren Rijiju met his predecessor Ravi Shankar Prasad here on Saturday. Rijiju was given the law and justice portfolio on Wednesday and elevated to the Cabinet rank in a major rejig of the Union Council of Ministers.

    Called on my senior colleague and predecessor as Union Law & Justice minister Sh @rsprasad ji.Sought his guidance to take forward the vision of Hon’ble PM @narendramodi ji to build a #NewIndia #Govt4Growth pic.twitter.com/BWjXAVw5Kb
    — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) July 9, 2021

    Prasad, who was holding the portfolio, besides the information technology and communications ministries, had resigned from the government on Wednesday. “Called on my senior colleague and predecessor as Union Law & Justice minister Ravi Shankar Prasad ji. Sought his guidance to take forward the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji to build a new India,” Rijiju tweeted.

    He also shared a picture of the meeting. Prasad also tweeted about his meeting with Rijiju. “I wished him the best and all the success in taking the vision of PM @narendramodi forward,” Prasad said.

    At the first meeting of the Union Council of Ministers on Wednesday evening after the rejig, the prime minister had said the new ministers can learn from the experience of their predecessors.