The Supreme Court said it has taken note of the controversial speech given by Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, a sitting judge of the Allahabad High Court, at an event on Sunday, organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in UP’s Prayagraj.

“The Supreme Court has taken note of the newspaper reports of a speech given by Mr Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, a sitting judge of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad. The details and particulars have been called from the High Court and the matter is under consideration,” read a statement issued by the apex court.

Justice Yadav’s address at the VHP event stirred a controversial row.

The HC judge reportedly remarked  that, “This country would function as per the wishes of the bahu-sankhyak (majority) living in Hindustan. This is the Law. The law, in fact, works according to the majority. Look at it in the context of family or society. Only what benefits the welfare and happiness of the majority will be accepted.”

Further, he reportedly said: “Lekin yeh jo kathmullah hai jo...yeh sahi shabd nahi hai...lekin kehne mein parhez nahi hai kyunki woh desh ke liye bura hai...desh ke liye ghatak hai, khilaaf hai, janata ko bhadhkane wale log hai...desh aage na badhe is prakar ke log hai...unse saavdhaan rehne ki zaroorat hai (But these kathmullah... this may not be the right word... but I won't hesitate to say it because they are harmful to the country...they are detrimental, against the nation, and people who incite the public. They are the kind of people who do not want the country to progress, and we need to be cautious of them.”

These controversial statements were delivered while lecturing a crowd on the topic of ‘Constitutional Necessity of Uniform Civil Code (UCC)’ in an event organised by VHP’s legal cell.

The HC judge, further adding to his speech, went on to target a specific community, stating, “Practices such as having multiple wives, Triple-Talaq, and Halala are unacceptable. Your argument that personal law allows this practice does not sustain.”

Justice Yadav further hurled fiery shots, stating, “In your culture, from a very young age, children are exposed to animal slaughter. How can you expect them to be tolerant and compassionate?”

Another Allahabad HC Judge, Justice Dinesh Pathak, was also in attendance at this event where these remarks were passed.

The Judge has been subjected to serious flak from political and judicial circuits following his speech.

Earlier on Tuesday, advocate Prashant Bhushan, in his capacity as convenor of Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR), urged the Chief Justice of India to constitute an “in-house enquiry” against Justice Yadav for “judicial impropriety” and “violating the code of conduct for judges”.

Bhushan said that Justice Yadav used “unpardonable and unconscionable slurs against the Muslim community, bringing shame and disrepute to the High Office of a Judge of the Allahabad High Court and the Judiciary as a whole, besides undermining the rule of law, he is meant to uphold”.

A senior Supreme Court lawyer, Rebecca John, commented on these remarks: “Judge Yadav not only attended a Vishva Hindu Parishad event but also delivered a hate speech. These are violations of the oath he took as a judge.”

(With inputs from syndicated feed)

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