NEW DELHI: Just a day after union law minister Kiren Rijiju, while speaking at the Rajya Sabha, said that constitutional body like Supreme Court should not hear “bail pleas and frivolous PILs”, the opposition slammed the union law minister.
Rijiju made this statement introducing a bill to rename the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre as India International Arbitration Centre.
The Bill was passed by the upper house of the parliament via voice vote. The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill in August 2022.
Reacting to the statement of union law minister Kiren Rijiju, the opposition alleged that the Bill was being introduced because of pressure from the World Bank.
The comment triggered reactions from the opposition leaders and Congress MP Manish Tewari said clearly the law minister had “other pressing preoccupations” than law.
“He perhaps has never read Justice Krishna Aiyer’s seminal treatise — bail, not jail is the rule. How else can a law minister say SC should not hear bail pleas,” tweeted Manish Tewari.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal questioned: “Does he even know the meaning of liberty?”
Congress leader Salman Khurshid tweeted: “Forget NJAC, Govt wants to micromanage judiciary: cut vacations, no priority to bail, et al. What next?”
Responding to the opposition’s allegations, Rijiju said: “…it is not under any international pressure but it is the situation, the emergent situation, which compelled the government to take a decision. Therefore, it is a sovereign decision by the government of India.”
“I have made certain remarks in a good gesture to the Supreme Court of India that you take up those cases which are relevant. If Supreme Court starts hearing bail applications or frivolous PILs, it will cause lots of extra burden,” Rijiju added.