NEW DELHI: Amid reports that the Supreme Court dropped its investigation against Allahabad HC judge Shekhar Kumar Yadav following an intervention from the Rajya Sabha, Upper House MP Kapil Sibal on Tuesday questioned why Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar has not taken any action on the notice seeking an impeachment motion against the judge.
Addressing media in the capital, Sibal, who is also a senior advocate and SCBA president, said the whole incident smacks of “discrimination.” He alleged that the government is attempting to save the judge after he made “entirely communal” remarks last year.
“On one hand the Rajya Sabha secretary general wrote to the Chief Justice of India to not go ahead with an in-house inquiry against Yadav as a petition was pending against him before the Upper House, which was not done in the case of Justice Yashwant Varma,” he said.
“Why did you not write a letter over in-house inquiry against Justice Varma. So does this government want to protect Shekhar Yadav, we think they want to save him,” he said.
Speaking on the Uniform Civil Code, Justice Yadav of Allahabad HC on December 8, 2024 reportedly said that Hindus did not expect Muslims to follow their culture but only wanted them not to disrespect the same.
Speaking at a VHP event, he had stated that the country would run as per the wishes of the “Bahusankhayak” (majority) and that the Uniform Civil Code would soon become a reality.
On December 13, 2024, members of several opposition parties moved a notice in the Rajya Sabha for the impeachment of Allahabad HC Judge over his controversial remarks at the VHP event. The notice for moving the impeachment motion was signed by 55 opposition MPs, including Sibal, Jairam Ramesh, Vivek Tankha, Digvijaya Singh, John Brittas, Manoj Kumar Jha and Saket Gokhale.
“So either no action will be taken or they will reject a few signatures in the impeachment notice and reject the motion so that “we go to the Supreme Court and it takes time which would ensure that Shekhar Yadav retires in 2026,” Sibal said.
Sibal said that on December 13, 2024, the Opposition MPs had given a notice for an impeachment motion to Chairman Rajya Sabha with signatures of 55 MPs.
“Six months have gone, but no steps have been taken,” he said.
The RS secretariat sent a letter to the CJI, requesting that no action be taken. It was said the matter will be taken up as there is an impeachment motion notice, and the Supreme Court must halt its in-house procedures against Yadav, Sibal said.
“Should the chairman write such a letter to the CJI? The in-house procedure is SC’s own, it has no connection with the impeachment motion. Till now impeachment motion has not even been admitted, it has been six months and only signatures are being verified,” Sibal said.
