NEW DELHI: Surendra Kumar Yadav, the special judge hearing the case, never knew that conducting trial in such a high-profile case would deprive him of a promotion and yet, get him a year’s extension in service post-retirement.
Yadav, who belongs to Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh, began his career in 1990 with his first posting at Faizabad. He was posted in various districts, including Lucknow, Etawah, Hardoi and Gorakhpur.
Yadav has been hearing the Babri Masjid case since 2015. In August last year, the Supreme Court directed the UP government to extend the tenure of the special judge.
He was elevated as district and sessions judge and posted to Badaun in 2019, but the order was cancelled the same day on the ground that the SC had ruled that the judge hearing the Babri case would not be transferred till the trial was complete. Hence, he continued to function as additional district judge.
Yadav had to move the Supreme Court last year complaining that the Babri case was stalling his promotion and requested that he be relieved of the same and given the posting he was entitled to after the promotion order.
His batch mates and juniors had been already appointed district judges, Yadav said in his plea, urging that he be allowed to file an application seeking recall of the court’s notification that had said the judge should not be transferred till the hearing in the Babri Masjid demolition case was complete.
Yadav pleaded that he had an unblemished career of 28 years, but was now approaching superannuation.
After admitting the judge’s plea, the SC issued a notice to the state government. Yadav was due to retire on September 30, 2019, but got an extension after the top court asked the UP government to do so.