Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court, under fire over his recent anti-Muslim remarks, on Sunday got the backing of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Speaking at the ‘World Hindu Economic Forum 2024’ in Mumbai, Adityanath criticised the Opposition for filing an impeachment notice against the judge merely for voicing his opinion, media reports said.
“They (Opposition) call themselves democratic. They carry the Constitution with them, but they have no shame. These are the people who strangle the Constitution,” the chief minister said.
“Whoever speaks the truth, these people will pressurise him with impeachment (motions), and still they talk about the Constitution. Look at their double standards,” he said, according to a PTI report.
“An Allahabad High Court judge said there should be a Uniform Civil Code, and said the feelings of the majority community are respected all over the world,” the chief minister said.
What was a person’s crime if he voiced these opinions, he asked.
“Shouldn’t there be a Uniform Civil Code in the country? The world over, the system runs as per what the majority community says, and India is saying the discrimination between majority and minority communities should end.
They (the Congress) will pressurise, because it is their old habit of strangulating the Constitution and managing the system of the country,” Adityanath alleged.
Justice Yadav stirred controversy this fortnight when he asserted that the country would operate according to the wishes of the majority population and used the term “kathmullah,” a derogatory slur against Muslims, to describe the community.
He was delivering a speech on December 8 at an event in Prayagraj under the aegis of the legal cell of the Hindu right-wing organisation Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
Justice Yadav’s comments were condemned across political and legal circles, with critics describing them as a violation of judicial impartiality. Advocate Prashant Bhushan and CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat wrote to Chief Justice Khanna, asserting that the remarks breach the judge’s oath of office.
The Bar Association of India also passed a resolution condemning the judge’s remarks and urged the Supreme Court to address the issue “in a stern and emphatic manner.”
Moreover, Members of Parliament led by Kapil Sibal have submitted an impeachment motion to the Rajya Sabha Secretary General. The motion, signed by 55 MPs, is expected to be taken up during the ongoing Parliament session.
