Fact Check: Ministers, CJI NOT chilling in London on taxpayers' dime. These old pics are from Delhi
These photos of Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Arjun Ram Meghwal, and CJI Surya Kant, are from a badminton tournament held in November 2025 in Delhi.
India Today Fact Check
Two photos of Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Chief Justice of India Surya Kant have gone viral on social media. One shows the three men, among others, holding badminton rackets inside a stadium. The other features the same men in the same attire walking on a red carpet.
Allegedly, they were all in London for the Second International Bar and Bench Badminton Championship held on June 7.
Those sharing the photos claimed that these ministers and the CJI were enjoying London's pleasant weather amid a sweltering summer in India — at the taxpayers’ expense.
One person wrote on X, “Justice Surya Kant, the Law Minister, and 75 other judges are enjoying themselves in London at the public's expense — playing badminton together in the cool weather, far away from the heat back home. And Congress members are thinking about filing a petition in the Supreme Court against 'SIR' and the Rajya Sabha elections.”
India Today Fact Check found that the viral pictures are from the All India Judges’ Badminton Championship held in November 2025 at Thyagaraj Stadium, New Delhi.
OUR PROBE
Upon reverse-searching the photos, we found both in an Instagram carousel shared by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on November 29, 2025. This makes it clear that the photos are old and not from the recent International Bar and Bench Badminton Championship in London.
According to the post, Rijiju participated in the All India Judges’ Badminton Championship 2025 at Thyagaraj Stadium, New Delhi. CJI Surya Kant and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also attended the event. In the post, Rijiju shared several pictures from the event.
Meghwal also shared a video on the same day showing him and Rijiju playing badminton. Several news reports also covered the event. According to a PTI report, the first All India Judges’ Badminton Championship was held on November 29 and 30, 2025. The event was approved by the Supreme Court of India and supported by the Department of Justice. Judges from across the country participated in the championship.
OFFICIAL DENIALS
The Ministry of Law and Justice released a statement denying the claims of ministers and 75 judges attending the Second International Bar and Bench Badminton Championship in London. According to the ministry, on June 7, when the championship was held, Meghwal was in Bikaner, Rajasthan.
According to several reports, Meghwal took part in an event called “Fit India Sunday on Cycle” in Bikaner on June 7. Additionally, ANI reported that he attended a meeting with railway officials in Bikaner on the same day.
Kiren Rijiju, while re-sharing the 2025 video, also dismissed the ongoing claims. He alleged that there was a conspiracy to malign the judiciary and other important institutions of India.
India Today reached out to the personal secretary of Chief Justice Surya Kant, who said that the CJI did not attend the sporting event. According to him, the International Bar and Bench Badminton Championship in London was mainly for lawyers, although some High Court judges may have attended.
Notably, however, the CJI went to the UK in the first week of June to participate in a series of high-level legal conferences and academic engagements on June 4 and 5.
Thus, it is clear that the viral claims are misleading.
(With inputs from Aneesha Mathur)
Two photos of Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Chief Justice of India Surya Kant have gone viral on social media. One shows the three men, among others, holding badminton rackets inside a stadium. The other features the same men in the same attire walking on a red carpet.
Allegedly, they were all in London for the Second International Bar and Bench Badminton Championship held on June 7.
Those sharing the photos claimed that these ministers and the CJI were enjoying London's pleasant weather amid a sweltering summer in India — at the taxpayers’ expense.
One person wrote on X, “Justice Surya Kant, the Law Minister, and 75 other judges are enjoying themselves in London at the public's expense — playing badminton together in the cool weather, far away from the heat back home. And Congress members are thinking about filing a petition in the Supreme Court against 'SIR' and the Rajya Sabha elections.”
India Today Fact Check found that the viral pictures are from the All India Judges’ Badminton Championship held in November 2025 at Thyagaraj Stadium, New Delhi.
OUR PROBE
Upon reverse-searching the photos, we found both in an Instagram carousel shared by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on November 29, 2025. This makes it clear that the photos are old and not from the recent International Bar and Bench Badminton Championship in London.
According to the post, Rijiju participated in the All India Judges’ Badminton Championship 2025 at Thyagaraj Stadium, New Delhi. CJI Surya Kant and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also attended the event. In the post, Rijiju shared several pictures from the event.
Meghwal also shared a video on the same day showing him and Rijiju playing badminton. Several news reports also covered the event. According to a PTI report, the first All India Judges’ Badminton Championship was held on November 29 and 30, 2025. The event was approved by the Supreme Court of India and supported by the Department of Justice. Judges from across the country participated in the championship.
OFFICIAL DENIALS
The Ministry of Law and Justice released a statement denying the claims of ministers and 75 judges attending the Second International Bar and Bench Badminton Championship in London. According to the ministry, on June 7, when the championship was held, Meghwal was in Bikaner, Rajasthan.
According to several reports, Meghwal took part in an event called “Fit India Sunday on Cycle” in Bikaner on June 7. Additionally, ANI reported that he attended a meeting with railway officials in Bikaner on the same day.
Kiren Rijiju, while re-sharing the 2025 video, also dismissed the ongoing claims. He alleged that there was a conspiracy to malign the judiciary and other important institutions of India.
India Today reached out to the personal secretary of Chief Justice Surya Kant, who said that the CJI did not attend the sporting event. According to him, the International Bar and Bench Badminton Championship in London was mainly for lawyers, although some High Court judges may have attended.
Notably, however, the CJI went to the UK in the first week of June to participate in a series of high-level legal conferences and academic engagements on June 4 and 5.
Thus, it is clear that the viral claims are misleading.
(With inputs from Aneesha Mathur)