Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav.
A case has been filed in the Supreme Court against Allahabad High Court judge Shekhar Kumar Yadav, who allegedly made controversial statements at an event of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Taking into account the news surrounding the issue, the court had summoned the Allahabad High Court on December 10 to submit a report in this regard. Now, Justice Yadav may soon appear before the Supreme Court collegiate bench to express his stance on his statement.
Justice Yadav made a statement on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) on December 8 during a program of Vishwa Hindu Parishad. He described it as a step towards social harmony, gender equality and secularism. The statement was made at a meeting of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad legal group and high court division at the Allahabad High Court. A video related to his remarks went viral, followed by backlash from opposition parties.
The opposition protested the announcement
Many people, including Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat and senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, have requested the Supreme Court to take action on the matter. Kalat termed Justice Yadav’s statement as a violation of his judicial oath and said such statements were not allowed in the judiciary. Meanwhile, Prashant Bhushan wrote to the Chief Justice seeking an internal inquiry into the judge’s conduct.
How to take action against a judge?
Under the old law, if there was any dispute against a judge, a report should be sought from the relevant High Court. That judge was given an opportunity to state his position before the plenary session. According to sources, Justice Yadav may also be asked to follow a similar procedure.
The Bar Council of India passed a resolution on the matter, condemning Justice Yadav’s remarks and demanding an apology from him. Meanwhile, the opposition parties also called it wrong. Given the seriousness of the matter, it will be important to see what action the Supreme Court Full Bench takes on the issue.
