Amid a row over remarks made by Allahabad High Court judge Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav at an event organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the J&K National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi Tuesday has started collecting signatures to move an impeachment motion in Parliament to remove him. Signatories so far include AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, Samajwadi Party MPs Zia ur Rehman and Mohibbullah, Sudama Prasad of CPI(ML)(L), and Rajkumar Roat of the Bharat Adivasi Party. Mehdi needs signatures of 100 members to move the motion. “I also talked with the members from Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, Trinamool Congress, who assured me that they will sign and support the motion after consultation with their respective party leaderships. I am hopeful they will support this motion because these are the parties who believe in the idea of India and its principles and values,” Mehdi wrote in a post on X. In the notice, Mehdi referred to Justice Yadav’s remarks and said, “The statement and actions of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, as documented in video evidence and as reported by news organisations, constitute a violation of the foundational principles of judicial conduct and the constitutional mandate.” It states that Justice Yadav’s continued tenure is detrimental to the integrity, impartiality, and secular ethos of the judiciary. Owaisi, in a post on X, wrote, “The judge’s behaviour violates constitutional norms, including the Supreme Court's “Restatement of Values of Judicial Life.” Addressing the event organised by the VHP’s legal cell on the court premises on Sunday, Justice Yadav said, “You can’t disrespect a woman who has been recognised as a goddess in our Shastras and Vedas. You can’t claim the right to have four wives, perform halala, or practice triple talaq. You say, we have the right to say ‘triple talaq’, and not give maintenance to women.” According to a VHP press release, the judge also spoke in favour of the UCC. “Having different Constitutions for people of different communities and religions in a country is no less than a danger to the nation. When we talk of human uplift, it should rise above religion and should be within the ambit of the Constitution,” the press release quoted him as saying.
