BJP Cabinet reshuffle: Arjun Ram Meghwal replaces Kiren Rijiju as law minister

In a major Cabinet reshuffle, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday replaced Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, who has been moved to the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Rijiju, who had frequent run-ins with the Supreme Court over judicial appointments, was named as law minister on July 7, 2021.

The Sports Minister and the Minister of State for Minority Affairs at that time, Kiren Rijiju got the coveted portfolio following the resignation of senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Kiren Rijiju had in November last year said the collegium system of making appointments in the apex court and high courts was "alien" to the Constitution. In January, he wrote to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud for the inclusion of government nominees in the collegium system.

President Droupadi Murmu, as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has reallocated portfolios among ministers in the Union Council of Ministers, a brief statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

"The portfolio of (the) Ministry of Earth Sciences be assigned to Shri Kiren Rijiju," it said.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh was holding charge of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Meghwal is currently the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and the Minister of State for Culture.

He has been assigned independent charge as Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice in addition to his existing portfolios, in place of Kiren Rijiju, according to the statement.