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Union Minister 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
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 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
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Wednesday as Congress members sought an apology from Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks which they claimed were an insult to B R Ambedkar. As soon as the House met for the day, Congress members trooped into the Well displaying posters of Ambedkar and sought an apology from Shah for his remarks during a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal countered the Congress, saying the party has always insulted Ambedkar and ensured his defeat in Lok Sabha elections. The minister also claimed that the Congress has now been forced to take the name of Ambedkar though the party does not respect him. Speaker Om Birla asked the members to allow the Question Hour to continue but as the din continued, the proceedings went on for less than two minutes before being adjourned till 2 pm.
A constitutional amendment bill for holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously is likely to be introduced in Parliament on Tuesday and could be referred to a joint committee of the two Houses. A top government functionary said the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, popularly being referred to as the Bill on "one nation, one election", was expected to 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 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 chairmanship of the committee, besides several members, the functionary said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was a member of the high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind that recommended holding Lok Sabha, state assembly and
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 ...
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Friday questioned the West Bengal government for establishing fast track special courts in only five to six districts to deliver swift justice for crimes against women. He said only recently, the state has sent fresh proposals to set up such courts in more districts. Talking to reporters here on the sidelines of an event, the minister said the rape-murder of a woman doctor in Kolkata was shameful. He said mistakes have been pointed out in the action taken after the incident, which even was tardy. "Matter came to the Supreme Court. Then (West Bengal Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter about the need for fast track courts. The scheme (for fast track special courts) already exists," he pointed out. He said except for five-six districts, the courts were not set up (in West Bengal). "Now their proposals have been received for some districts. People of Bengal, doctors across the country are agitated about the incident. "The attitude o
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Sunday called for collective efforts to break the common perception that justice delivery system in India suffers from "taarikh pe taarikh culture" and asserted such efforts will strengthen the trust factor among citizens. He also proposed a critical analysis of 'aging of pending litigation'. The minister said aging analyses and clubbing of similar cases can help reduce pendency in the courts and lauded some of the high courts for putting such a system in place. Addressing the valedictory session of national conference of district judiciary here in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, Meghwal said his ministry has proposed a target of "justice for all". The programme proposes affordable, speedy and technology-enabled citizen-centric justice at doorstep for the people. "It is the collective responsibility of all those present at the programme to break the common perception that the justice delivery system has a taarikh pe taarikh culture," he
There are no plans to bring a law on electoral bonds for funding of political parties, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. The Lower House was also told that no proposal for funding of political parties through the Election Commission was under consideration of the government. In a written reply, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal replied in the negative on whether the government had any plan to bring a law regarding electoral bonds for political party funding. He was also asked whether an alternative or a substitute was being considered for funding of political parties to contest Lok Sabha and assembly elections. He said no such proposal was under consideration of the government. Responding to a separate question, Meghwal said no proposal was under consideration of the government to fund political parties through the Election Commission. In February, the Supreme Court annulled the electoral bonds scheme for political funding, saying it violated the constitutional right to freedom
Addressing the issues of vacancies in the higher judiciary and pending cases, and finalising the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) are the key challenges before Arjun Ram Meghwal who was allocated the law portfolio on Monday. The MoP is a set of documents which guide the appointment, elevation and transfer of high court and Supreme Court judges. Meghwal was appointed as minister of state for law and justice with independent charge in May last year when he replaced Kiren Rijiju. After the Modi 3.0 government was sworn in on Sunday, Meghwal was appointed as a minister of state with independent charge. On Monday, he was allocated the law portfolio, an area he is already aware of. According to data shared by the government with Parliament, over five crore cases are pending across courts -- the lower courts, the 25 high courts and the Supreme Court. There are various reasons for the rising pendency but one of key reasons is vacancies in the judiciary. As on June 1, while there are two ..
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Sunday said India was able to strengthen democracy as the judiciary and the governments did their work. He also said that India fared better than its neighbours due to its Constitution, which he described as a living document. Addressing an event in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu and Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud to celebrate Constitution Day, the minister said the country has been able to come out of adverse situations due to its Constitution. "Countries around us got independence -- Pakistan attained independence with us; Sri Lanka got independence before us but disturbance, Nepal there was disturbance, there was disturbance in Myanmar," he said adding Bangladesh also faced problems. "But there is only one key reason as to why we moved in the right direction. We had the living document, the Constitution," he said. The minister said India came out several adverse situations due to the Constitution. "We came out of variou