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Synopsis

Members of the opposition in Rajya Sabha have submitted a notice to impeach Allahabad High Court Justice Shekhar Yadav for his recent remarks made at an event organized by the Vishva Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) legal cell in the Library Hall on the High Court premises.

Rajya Sabha MP and Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal has said a notice to the Rajya Sabha Secretary General to impeach Allahabad High Court has been given.

The motion has been signed by several prominent figures, including Congress leaders P Chidambaram, Digvijaya Singh, Jairam Ramesh, Vivek Tankha, and Randeep Singh Surjewala; AAP’s Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha; TMC’s Saket Gokhale among others.

Bar Association of India has also condemned remarks made by Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court in a resolution passed during an emergency executive meeting.

During his address at the event on the subject of "Constitutional Necessity of Uniform Civil Code",  Justice Yadav stated "I have no hesitation in stating that this is Hindustan, and this country will function according to the wishes of the majority living here. This is the law".

In addition to this, Justice Yadav without naming any community also stated that "not everybody from this community is bad, but [derogatory terms] are fatal for the country. You shouldn't let this desire inside you die down...otherwise, it won't take very long for it to become Bangladesh and Taliban. It is important to publicise it among people that they should recognise themselves and their religion".

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal has also called for the impeachment of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, criticizing the judge’s speech for its 'communal undertones' and urged members of the ruling government as well to support the move for his impeachment.

Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) has also stepped into the fray, writing to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and demanding an in-house inquiry against Justice Yadav. The organization described his speech as carrying “communal overtones” and accused him of making “unpardonable slurs against the Muslim community.” CJAR further recommended the immediate withdrawal of judicial work assigned to Justice Yadav.

In a related move, the Supreme Court has taken note of the controversy, directing the Allahabad High Court to submit a detailed report on Justice Yadav’s remarks.

With the Supreme Court’s intervention and mounting public scrutiny, the case is expected to have far-reaching implications.

Here is a closer look at what he actually said.