New Delhi: On September 8, the legal cell of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad organised a meeting with around 30 retired judges of the Supreme Court and several high courts.

While the VHP didn’t disclose the names of the judges who attended the meeting, The Indian Express reported that former Supreme Court judges Adarsh Kumar Goel and Hemant Gupta were among the retired judges who attended the VHP event.

While Justice Goel served as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) chairperson till last year since his retirement from the Supreme Court in 2018, Justice Gupta was appointed chairperson of the India International Arbitration Centre after his retirement from the Supreme Court in 2022.

The issues discussed in the meeting included the legal dispute over the Varanasi and Mathura temples, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill along with religious conversions. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal was also present at the meeting.

Back in 2022, Justice Gupta had upheld the Karnataka High Court’s decision allowing the ban on wearing of hijabs in classrooms.

Justice Goel was part of a bench in 2018 that had allowed anticipatory bail for accused persons in certain cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, reported The Indian Express.

The bench’s verdict was termed as ‘dilution’ of the act, leading to nationwide protests, by Dalit and Adivasi outfits.

The participation of retired judges in the event organised by the VHP is significant, given the fact that issues such as the Hindutva outfit’s claims over the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi and the Shahi Idgah in Mathura are presently in court.

“It is a legal body carrying out its activities and I, as a citizen, has the right to attend any function which is not prohibited by law,” Justice Gupta told The Indian Express.

Justice Goel didn't deny that he attended the meeting.

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