New Delhi: Kiren Rijiju has been replaced as Union Law Minister and has been assigned the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State, will replace Mr Rijiju as Minister with Independent Charge of the Law Ministry.

The surprise change was announced by a statement from the President's House.

According to a press communiqué from the Rashtrapati Bhavan , Meghwal has been assigned the independent charge as Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice, in addition to his existing portfolios, in place of Kiren Rijiju.

Kiren Rijiju has been assigned the portfolio of Ministry of Earth Sciences. Meghwal is the current Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs & Culture. Rijiju was appointed as the Law Minister in July 2021 in the place of Ravi Shankar Prasad. As the law minister, Rijiju had created headlines by his repeated comments against the collegium system for judicial appointments.

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