The Supreme Court recently discussed a speech given by Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, a judge from the Allahabad High Court, at a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) event. The court is gathering more information about the situation. A video of Justice Yadav’s speech, where he suggested that laws should follow the majority, has gone viral online, causing many politicians to react strongly. In the video, he claimed, “This is Hindustan, and this country would function as per the wishes of the ‘bahusankhyak’,” which translates to the majority population.
Justice Yadav also supported the idea of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) during his talk, explaining that it aims to create social harmony, gender equality, and secularism by having the same laws for everyone, regardless of their religion in personal matters like marriage and inheritance.
Politicians from opposition parties, like Trinamool Congress’s Mahua Moitra and Asaduddin Owaisi, criticized the judge’s statements. The Samajwadi Party and the Uttar Pradesh wing of Congress urged Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna to look into the issue.
Prashant Bhushan, a lawyer and leader of a non-government group called Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR), wrote a letter to the Chief Justice requesting an inquiry into Justice Yadav’s conduct. Bhushan argued that Yadav’s speech, which was seen as targeting the Muslim community, demonstrates judicial misconduct and injures the reputation of the judiciary.
Bhushan pointed out that Justice Yadav made several controversial remarks, including one where he described how children from one religious community are taught values of kindness and tolerance, calling into question the fairness of his comments.
The letter noted that the judge’s actions violate the “Restatement of Values of Judicial Life,” a guideline meant to uphold the integrity of judges. CJAR demanded that Justice Yadav stop all judicial work temporarily while an investigation is conducted, stating that a prompt institutional response is essential to regain public trust in the justice system.
VHP chief Alok Kumar defended Justice Yadav against the criticism, saying that these events will continue to be organized.
