Modi 3.0: Arjun Ram Meghwal to continue as MoS independent charge of Law Ministry

Arjun Ram Meghwal to continue as law minister

The Centre on June 10 announced that Arjun Ram Meghwal, BJP leader and four time MP from Bikaner, will continue as the Minister of State (MoS) independent charge of the ministry of law and justice.

Meghwal was appointed as the MoS ministry of law in May 2023. He was the third law minister to be appointed in Narendra Modi's second stint as the Prime Minister.

As a law minister, Meghwal oversaw the passage of many important laws in Parliament, such as the mediation act, the new criminal laws, the personal data protection act, the law on appointment of election commissioner and chief election commissioner and the law on control of administrative services of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Meghwal is also credit to have been the law minister who put the controversy surrounding the collegium system of appointment of judges to rest as the appointments made in his tenure were quicker than the previous ones.

About Meghwal:

Born on December 7, 1954, Meghwal became a law graduate in 1977 and earned his master's degree in political science. He obtained an MBA degree from the University of the Philippines.

Meghwal started working as a telephone operator in the post and telegraph department in 1974 while pursuing his studies.

Born to a family of weavers in Kishmidesar village in Bikaner, Meghwal, is considered to have played a key role in the BJP and the Narendra Modi government.

The former bureaucrat has worn many hats for the last NDA government as he has been the chief whip of the party in Lok Sabha and later, a Minister of State handling portfolios such as finance, corporate affairs, heavy industry and public enterprises, water resources, parliamentary affairs and culture.

He cleared the Rajasthan Administrative Service examination in 1980 and served in various capacities in the state government across different districts. Meghwal was promoted to the Indian Administrative Service in 1999 and he went on to serve in various administrative posts, including as the district magistrate of Churu.

He sought voluntary retirement from the IAS in 2009 and took the political plunge by contesting the Lok Sabha elections the same year.

Law ministry under Modi 2.0

The five-year period saw three law ministers – Ravi Shankar Prasad from 2019 to 2021, Kiren Rijiju from 2021 to 2023, and Arjun Meghwal, who will now continue to hold the post.

During Prasad’s tenure, four judges were appointed to the Supreme Court, while 18 judges were appointed to the apex court during Rijiju’s stint. Eight supreme court judges have  been appointed to the SC after Meghwal took charge in May 2023.