Cabinet reshuffle: Who is Arjun Ram Meghwal, the newly appointed Law Minister

The 70-year-old leader was previously the Union Minister of State for Culture under the Narendra Modi-led government.

New Delhi | May 18, 2023 11:10 AM IST

2 min read

In a sudden cabinet reshuffle, Arjun Ram Meghwal replaces Kiren Rijiju as law minister

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In a cabinet reshuffle on Thursday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Rajasthan, Arjun Ram Meghwal replaced Kiren Rijiju as the Union Law Minster. Meghwal was previously the Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture under the Narendra Modi-led government.

It is also worth noting that Meghwal, now at the helm of the law ministry, did not previously hold a cabinet rank.

The BJP leader is a retired IAS officer, who entered the administrative services and went on to serve as the District Magistrate (Collector) in the Government of Rajasthan.

Political life

The 70-year-old leader served as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Water Resource, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation during Modi’s first term as Prime Minister, and has been a member of the BJP for over a decade.

In the year 2009, Meghwal was elected as the Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha from Bikaner and was re-elected in the 2014 general election for the 16th Lok Sabha. During his 2nd term as an MP, he was the Chief Whip of the BJP in Lok Sabha. The Speaker also nominated him as the Chairman of House Committee in the lower house.

A press release from the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday morning stated: “Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State be assigned the independent charge as Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice in addition to his existing portfolios, in place of Shri Kiren Rijiju.”

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