NC MP to move impeachment motion in Parliament against Justice Yadav over his controversial remarks at VHP Event

Srinagar: National Conference MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi on Tuesday announced that he would move an impeachment motion in Parliament to remove Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court, accusing him of breaching judicial conduct with controversial remarks against Muslims.

“I am moving impeachment motion in the Parliament in accordance with Art 124(4) of the constitution for the removal of this Justice namely Shekhar K Yadav, a sitting Judge in Hon’ble High Court of Judicature at Allahabad on the charges mentioned in the notice,” he wrote on X while posting a impeachment motion drafted by him.

Mehdi said he needs signatures of 100 MPs to move this motion and more than seven members including president of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Asaduddin Owaisi, Rajkumar Roat from Rajasthan,  Sudhama Prasad  from Bihar, Mohibbullah and Ziau Rahman both from UP have signed it.

“I also talked with the members from the Congress, Samajwadi Party and All India Trinamool Congress. They will sign and support the motion after consultation with their respective party leaderships. I am hopeful that they will support this motion because these are the parties who believe in the idea of India and its principles and values,” the NC MP added.

In the impeachment motion, which has been already signed by seven MPs, Mehdi said: “That Justice Yadav made public declarations endorsing political issues such as the Uniform Civil Code. He extended his support to the ideological position of political organization i.e. Vishwa Hindu Parishad.”

“Through these actions, Justice Yadav engaged in activities that blur the line between judicial office and political activism. Such advocacy runs counter to Point 8 of the Restatement of Judicial Values,” he said. “Justice Yadav’s use of unbecoming, derogatory language is condemned. His statements like ‘kathmulla’ to describe Muslims community and comments linking their cultural practices to a lack of tolerance, perpetuates sterotypes and foster communal disharmony.”

The NC MP K said statements asserting that only Hindu values and practices should govern the nation challenge the secular fabric enshrined in the Preamble and in Article 25 of the Constitution.

Speaking on the subject of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) at an event organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Justice Yadav reportedly said he had no hesitation in saying that “Hindustan would run as per the wishes of the majority people” living in the country.

Without naming the Muslim community, he said that practices like having multiple wives, triple talaq and halala were “unacceptable.”

Mehdi and others have accused Yadav of breaching judicial ethics and undermining the trust the public places in the judiciary.

As per constitutional provisions, impeachment motions against judges require a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament. While the process remains complex and lengthy, Mehdi’s motion has sparked intense political debate over the independence of the judiciary and the accountability of judges in India.

Sources close to Mehdi suggest that he is committed to moving forward with the motion, even as he continues to build the necessary political consensus.