Former MP High Court judge Rohit Arya joins BJP

Bhopal: Former Madhya Pradesh High Court judge Rohit Arya has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, three months after his retirement, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public-oriented developmental work and the BJP’s policies as his primary influences.

Notably, Arya in 2021 had denied bail to stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui, accused of hurting religious sentiments and violating COVID-19 protocols during a show in Indore, and another accused in the case.

Arya joined the BJP after addressing the workshop at the party office in Bhopal on Saturday, a party leader said on Monday.

Addressing a workshop at the BJP office in Bhopal on the newly-introduced Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), Arya praised the legislation as a big reform aimed at providing justice to common people, contrasting it with British-era laws intended for punishment.

Expressing his gratitude towards the Central government, Arya emphasised the significance of the BNS, predicting it would usher in significant reforms.

“To change the Indian Penal Code to Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita is a big thing. I express my gratitude towards the Central government for this. In the days to come, BNS will bring reforms in people’s lives,” Arya said.

Arya said he was joining the BJP as he was influenced by PM Modi’s public-oriented developmental works and the party’s policies.

Arya was appointed as a judge of the MP High Court on September 12, 2013, and became a permanent judge on March 26, 2015. He retired on April 27, 2024.