Days After Controversy Over VHP Event Speech, Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Changes Justice Shekhar Yadav's Roster
4 Days after his controversial speech at a public event organised by the legal cell of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court has changed the judicial roster of Justice Shekhar Yadav.
As per the new roster, effective December 16, Justice Yadav will only be hearing 'First Appeals' arising from orders passed by civil courts, specifically those dated up to 2010.
Until now, Justice Yadav had been handling 'major' bail applications related to rape and sexual offence cases. The present roaster had been notified on October 15.
Interestingly, Justice Yadav, appointed as an Additional Judge of the HC in December 2019 and a permanent judge in March 2021, has primarily dealt with bail and criminal matters throughout most of his tenure. He is set to retire in March 2026.
This development comes just 2 days after the Supreme Court took note of the reports about the controversial speech given by Justice Yadav, judge of the Allahabad High Court, at an event organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Sunday.
In his lecture on the topic, Uniform Civil Code: A Constitutional Necessity, which sparked widespread outrage, he asserted the country would function according to the wishes of the majority (bahusankhyak) in India.
From declaring that he was "taking a vow" that the Uniform Civil Code would soon be implemented in the country, to recounting the 'sacrifices' made by 'our ancestors' to see Rama Lalla freed and witness the construction of a grand Lord Rama temple at Ayodhya, to using the derogatory slur 'kathmullah', Justice Yadav also remarked that Muslim children could not be expected to exhibit kindness and tolerance when, from an early age, they are exposed to the sights of animals being slaughtered in front of them.
In his address, while drawing a comparison between Hinduism and Islam, Justice Yadav remarked that practices such as untouchability, Sati, and Jauhar had been abolished within Hinduism, yet the Muslim community continued to permit the practice of polygyny, halal, triple talaq etc. He deemed this practice unacceptable.
Read Live Law's intensive coverage of his speech here, here and here.
Following his speech, the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) today (December 10) wrote to CJI Sanjiv Khanna urging for an 'in-house enquiry' to initiate appropriate action against Justice Yadav.
A Member of Parliament (MP) (Ruhullah Mehdi) had also put out an X Post that he was moving an impeachment motion for the removal of Justice Yadav. Senior Advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal also called for the impeachment of Justice Yadav.