New Delhi: Two sitting judges of the Allahabad high court on Sunday (December 8) were part of an event organised by Hindutva outfit Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Prayagraj, with one of them delivering a lecture on the necessity of the uniform civil code (UCC).
The event, held in the library hall of the high court, was organised by the VHP’s legal cell of the “Kashi Prant” (Varanasi province) and high court unit (Allahabad).
Among the topics discussed at the event were “The Waqf Board Act” and “Religious Conversion – Causes and Prevention”.
Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, who retires in 2026, delivered a lecture on the UCC titled “Uniform Civil Code – A Constitutional Imperative”.
He said that the UCC was based on the principles of equality and justice, and that secularism has been a matter of debate in India for a long time.
“The main objective of the UCC is to promote social harmony gender equality and secularism by eliminating unequal legal systems based on different religions and communities. This code aims to ensure the uniformity of laws not only between communities, but also within a community,” Yadav said according to a source in the VHP.
Another judge, Justice Dinesh Pathak, was scheduled to open the ceremonies of the event with “lighting of the diyas” and “blessings”. But there was no confirmation of his attendance.
The members of the VHP’s Kashi Prant legal cell from Jaunpur, Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Amethi, Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Bhadohi, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Sonbhadra, Ghazipur and Varanasi attended the gathering.
Government advocate A.K. Sand and Anil Tiwari, president of the High Court Bar Association, Allahabad also spoke at the event, which VHP sources said was a closed-door event.
The panel at the VHP’s event, where the topics discussed included the “Waqf Board Act” and religious conversion. Photo: Special arrangement.
Justice Yadav has garnered the limelight in the past with his controversial remarks, in particular endorsing elements from the Hindu religion and mythology.
In 2021, while denying bail to a Muslim man from Sambhal accused of stealing a cow and slaughtering it with his associates, Yadav stated that the cow should be declared as the “national animal” and that gau raksha (cow protection) be included as a fundamental right of Hindus.
In his 12-page order written in Hindi and spattered with mythology, Justice Yadav had observed that scientists believe that the cow is the only animal that inhales and exhales oxygen.
He also argued in the same order that parliament should bring in a law to take tough action against those accused of cow slaughter. “When the faith and culture of the country suffer injury, the country becomes weak,” he had observed.
The same year, in October, Justice Yadav made another emotive observation in an order, saying that Hindu deities Ram and Krishna as well as Hindu mythological texts the Ramayana and the Gita along with their authors Valmiki and Ved Vyas be accorded national honours through a law in parliament.
Ram, Krishna, the Ramayana, the Gita, Valmiki and Ved Vyas were part of the “culture and heritage” of the country, argued Yadav while granting bail to a Hindu Dalit man accused of insulting Ram and Krishna in a Facebook post.
Yadav eulogised the role played by these deities and mythological epics in Hindu society as well as for the welfare of the world. He also noted that these elements should be made a compulsory subject in all schools of the country.
It was only through education that a person “becomes cultured” and becomes aware of their life values, said Yadav.
The audience at the VHP event. Photo: Special arrangement.
“Ram and Krishna were born on this land of India and thought about the welfare of the people here and worked selflessly for the welfare of living beings throughout their lives and that work became world welfare, and that is why many countries of the world believe in Ram and Krishna and their deeds and thoughts,” the judge said in October 2021.
Justice Yadav made headlines again in December 2021 when he requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Election Commission to immediately ban rallies and public meetings by political parties and consider postponing the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections owing to rising cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Justice Yadav made the request while hearing a bail petition. The judge, while praising Modi’s vaccination drive, requested him, taking into consideration the “frightening situation”, to take tough steps and consider deferring or stopping rallies, meetings and the election.
“Jaan hain toh jahan hain [If there is life, there is hope],” remarked Yadav then.
At the event in Prayagraj, Abhishek Atrey, the national co-convenor of the legal cell of the VHP, was the chief guest and delivered a speech on the Waqf Amendment Bill.
Atrey said a “second Kashmir” could be seen in Bangladesh, in a reference to the alleged targeting of its minorities following the recent political upheaval there.
“We all have to stay united to protect our identity,” said Atrey.
Government advocate Sand, who delivered the presidential address, said the Waqf Board had co-opted the land of various other organisations.
Senior lawyer Indira Jaising criticised Justice Yadav’s participation at the VHP event.
“What a shame for a sitting judge to actively participate in an event organised by a Hindu organisation on its political agenda,” she said on X.
The Bar Association of India has also condemned the remarks made by Yadav at the VHP event, stating: “These remarks are contrary to the principle of secularism as enshrined in the Constitution of India, in flagrant violation of the oath of office of a judge of constitutional court and strike at the very foundation of a fair and unbiased judiciary which sustains the rule of law.”
