Arjun Ram Meghwal

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday informed Rajya Sabha that there was no proposal to increase the retirement age of judges. The minister, during question hour, also informed the upper house that 297 posts of high court judges are vacant and 97 cases are under process. "There is no such proposal pending," Meghwal told Rajya Sabha when asked whether the government intended to increase the retirement age of judges. "On the strength of judges, the minister said, "The High Court sanctioned strength is 1,122, and their working strength is 825 and vacant posts are 297. "Of these vacant posts, 97 cases are under process and 200 such cases are there where the high courts have to send their proposals. Once they come, the government will act on them," the minister told the house. Meghwal also said that the government has undertaken many improvements in court infrastructure, including the setting up of a National Judicial Data Grid. A committee has also been formed in this regard. I

SCBA president wrote to the CJI and Law Minister, citing flaws in the collegium system and warning that delays in reform erode judicial integrity and public trust

India and Singapore can set global benchmarks in fair, transparent and efficient dispute resolution, Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said here on Wednesday. Addressing an Indian Council of Arbitration (ICA) Symposium cum Roundtable, Meghwal said, The significant reforms in India's arbitration laws and the establishment of the India International Arbitration Centre mark a decisive step towards creating a world-class dispute resolution framework. These initiatives ensure that arbitration in India is faster, more efficient, and more trustworthy, he told some 150 delegates at the symposium on Bridging Markets, Resolving Disputes via ADR in the India-Singapore Corridor. By working together, India and Singapore, two dynamic democracies with rapidly growing economies, can set global benchmarks in fair, transparent, and efficient dispute resolution, reinforcing our shared commitment to prosperity, stability and sustainable development, he said. This progress ...

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Sunday said that while the Britishers introduced the Indian Penal Code to "punish" Indians, Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita with the aim of delivering justice to the people. Speaking at the inauguration of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) at Delhi Assembly, Meghwal said, "I am told that the three new criminal laws have been fully implemented in Delhi. "The Britishers brought the Indian Penal Code to punish Indians. Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita to give justice to Indians." NeVA is a flagship project of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs designed to create a paperless legislative environment across India. Talking about the implementation of NeVA, the minister said there were talks about it being implemented earlier also. "I don't know what the previous government thought but it was not implemented," he said. Speaking on the occasion, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gup

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Saturday pitched for institutional arbitration, saying it was part of Indian culture after the ONGC chairman urged making arbitration proceedings timely and not "timeless". The government has been pushing for institutional arbitration instead of ad hoc arbitration asserting it is efficient and more result oriented. The industry on the other hand feels arbitration in India is slow, inefficient and plagued with red tape. Singapore, London and Dubai have emerged as hubs of international arbitration to settle high stakes, high value commercial disputes. Addressing a conference on institutional arbitration here, the minister also said that organisations should be ready to be flexible and rigid, depending on the need of the hour, to ensure that its interests remain protected and it contributes towards nation building. Meghwal felt that officers should be willing to take risk and not follow the beaten track to ensure financial interests of their ..

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Saturday pitched for institutional arbitration, saying it was part of Indian culture after the ONGC chairman urged making arbitration proceedings timely and not "timeless". Addressing a conference on institutional arbitration here, the minister also said that organisations should be ready to be flexible and rigid, depending on the need of the hour, to ensure that its interests remain protected and it contributes towards nation building. Meghwal felt that officers should be willing to take risk and not follow the beaten track to ensure financial interests of their organisation. Meghwal lamented that while arbitration was part of Indian culture, the concept got "disturbed" somewhere and other countries became hub of international arbitration. He hoped that India will soon emerge as the new hub of international arbitration. Speaking on the occasion, ONGC Chairman Arun Kumar Singh said time is money, and hence there was a need to make the procedure of

Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Wednesday said the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs will take a call on the demand of several opposition parties, including the Congress, for a special session of Parliament over the Pahalgam terror attack. Meghwal, who is a state minister in the parliamentary affairs department and also holds the independent charge in the law ministry, told reporters that the decision of the CCPA, which takes a call on convening the session, will be conveyed once it decides. The Union Cabinet is meeting on Wednesday. Several opposition leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a session of Parliament to present a collective resolve following the April 22 terror strike which left 26 people, mostly tourists, killed. At the press conference, Meghwal slammed Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav over a picture showing one-half each of B R Ambedkar's and the former Yadav'

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Sunday said progress has been made in the process of restoring peace in Manipur and there was a need to move further ahead. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here to mark the 12th anniversary of the establishment of the Manipur High Court. On alleged discovery of cash at the residence of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma, the minister said the country's top court was probing the matter. "The Supreme Court is probing the matter... let the report of the committee come... we will talk after that." Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Saturday constituted a three-member committee to conduct an in-house inquiry into allegations against Justice Varma from whose official residence a large stash of cash was allegedly discovered after a fire, and directed that no judicial work be assigned to him. On Manipur violence, the minister said the situation in the strife-torn state was improving. "We have progressed in the pr

Union Minister further hit out at the AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal over Sheesh Mahal stating that he has been exposed

Meghwal introduced the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill after a nearly 90-minute debate, followed by a division of votes. As many as 269 members voted in favour of the Bill and 198 against it

Government pushes forward controversial 'One Nation, One Election' Bills amid objections from the Opposition

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said the Centre's move to introduce a bill on simultaneous polls in the Lok Sabha was an attempt to divert attention from issues plaguing the country. Addressing reporters in Nagpur, Thackeray demanded a transparent election process before implementation of the 'One Nation One Election' proposal. He also said the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government should pay Rs 2,100 per month to women under the Ladki Bahin scheme as promised before the state assembly polls held last month. Currently, women in the state get Rs 1,500 per month under the scheme. On Tuesday, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal moved in the Lok Sabha two bills which lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous polls in the country, with the opposition dubbing the draft laws as an attack on the basic structure. Meghwal moved for introduction the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, popularly being referred to as the Bill on "one nation,

'One Nation, One Election' bill, which provides for simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies is slated to be introduced in Lok Sabha today

A constitutional amendment bill for holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously has been listed for introduction in the Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday and could be referred to a joint committee of the two Houses. The Lok Sabha agenda said the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, popularly being referred to as the Bill on "one nation, one election", will be introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. After its introduction, Meghwal will request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to refer the Bill to a Joint Committee of Parliament for wider consultations. The minister will also introduce the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to align the elections of the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry and the NCT of Delhi. The joint panel will be constituted on a pro-rata basis, based on the strength of MPs of various parties. As the largest party, the BJP will get the chairmanship of the committee, besides

One Nation, One Election bill, has sparked significant debate, particularly from Opposition leaders about the feasibility of holding Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections within the same year

Several opposition leaders have questioned the One Nation One election proposal saying it was impractical

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday slammed the opposition Congress for not giving B R Ambedkar his due and allegedly ensuring his defeat in the first Lok Sabha elections. Addressing the media here, Meghwal credited Ambedkar with the creation of the Reserve Bank of India as well as the Finance Commission but lamented that the Congress "which talks of the Constitution, never gave Ambedkar the due he deserved. He claimed the Congress made supporters of Ambedkar vote twice on ballot papers, making it invalid which led to his defeat. He said Ambedkar wrote to the Election Commission about the way elections were held but the poll body did not act. Meghwal said Ambedkar's representation to the poll panel was now available. He said the Alipore Road residence of Ambedkar here was turned into a memorial by then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "But the Congress did nothing," he claimed. The minister also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the establishment of an ...

The subordinate and district courts face shortage of over 5,000 judges, while the 25 high courts have collective vacancies of over 360, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. In a written reply, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwwal also said the Supreme Court, with a sanctioned strength of 34 judges, including the chief justice of India, has two vacancies. Following the retirement of Justice D Y Chandrachud as the CJI and Justice Hima Kohli earlier, the top court has two vacancies. The minister also said that amid divergence of view among states and high courts, there is no forward movement in the creation of an all-India judicial service. He said as on November 21, the lower judiciary had a shortage of 5,245 judicial officers while the HCs were short of 364 judges. The sanctioned strength of the 25 HCs is 1,114 judges. Responding to a sub question, Meghwal noted that Article 312 of the Constitution provides for the establishment of an All India Judicial Service (AIJS), which will n

India's first Constitution Museum was inaugurated at the O P Jindal Global University here on Saturday by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Addressing a gathering at the varsity, Speaker Birla said this marks a historic milestone and credited the university's Chancellor Naveen Jindal, who is also a BJP MP, for doing such work. This museum will acquaint present and coming generations with our constitution, how it was framed and what discussions and debates took place then. He said India's Constitution is acting as a guide to the world. Notably, the museum is designed to provide a deep and engaging exploration of the Constitution's essential elements and key provisions for the citizens to know demonstrating how its values and ideals have shaped the nation. The visitor can immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of pre-independence India, through 360-degree visual spectacle. Through cutting-edge technology and multimedia storytelling, the exhibit unfol

National Conference, promised restoration of the Article in its manifesto