Salman Khursheed has replaced Veerappa Moily as the new law minister in the second cabinet reshuffle just announced by prime minister Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.

Khursheed told NDTV that the appointment was a big responsibility and an honour bestowed upon him. He also gave a brief hint to the fact the cabinet had to work very hard to live upto the expectations of the people and to be able to get re-elected in the next Lok sabha polls.

The oath of office and secrecy was administered by the President of India yesterday to Khursheed .

Born in 1953, Kursheed was elected to the tenth Lok Sabha in 1991 and the same year he was made the union deputy minister in the commerce ministry.
In 1993 he was appointed union minister of state in the external affairs department.

The next milestones he achieved in his political career were when he was appointed the president of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee in 1999 and the general secretary of All India Congress Committee in 2004. Khursheed was there after elected to the fifteenth Lok Sabha in 2009 which was his second term. He retains his post as minorities minister but is giving up the water portfolio.

Khursheed was designated as senior advocate at Supreme Court of India and senior counsel in 1999. In the early 1980s he was also a senior partner at Talib Luthra & Associates and lists an extensive chamber and court practice especially in commercial, constitutional, airlines, press law and administrative law

After taking over the Law Ministry, he has said that he is all set to sort out the tension between the government and Solicitor General Gopal Subramanian over his resignation.

Mr. Subramanian resigned over the weekend in protest against the government’s decision to use a private lawyer in a case involving Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal. Mr. Subramanian has said that he was resigning to protect the dignity of the office.

NEW LAW MINISTER OF INDIA

Report by Bikram Singh Rana