'Those Who Twisted My Words...': HC Judge Who Sparked Outrage With Anti-Muslim Remarks Retires

Last Updated:April 16, 2026, 09:08 IST

Justice Shekhar Yadav sparked a political uproar with his controversial remarks on religion, governance, and minority communities at a VHP event in 2024.

Allahabad High Court Judge Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, whose remarks at a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) event in 2024 sparked widespread outrage and led to an impeachment motion against him, retired on Wednesday. In his speech, Justice Yadav said his words were twisted.

He made controversial remarks on religion, governance, and minority communities while delivering a lecture on the ‘Constitutional Necessity of Uniform Civil Code’ at an event organised by the legal cell of the VHP in Prayagraj in December 2024.

Addressing the Full Court reference held in his honour on Wednesday, Justice Yadav asserted that he had never discriminated on the basis of caste or religion and claimed he was targeted without fault. “Those who twisted my speech were at fault, not me," he said.

He also thanked the members of the bar for supporting him during that period, stating, “Another phase came, in which I had no fault, and during that, I got your support. Had I not received it, I would have been shattered".

Defending his impartiality on the bench, Justice Yadav said, “You are lawyers of every caste here; no person can say that I discriminated while delivering justice. I never differentiated between small or big lawyers, or lawyers of any caste." He said he was “targeted without fault" but received full support from his Bar Association.

Justice Yadav was appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court on December 12, 2019 and was made a permanent judge on March 26, 2021.

ALSO READ: Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav: Who Is Allahabad High Court Judge In Eye Of A Storm?

What Did Justice Yadav Say?

During the VHP event in 2024, Justice Yadav said, " have no hesitation in saying that this is Hindustan, this country would function as per the wishes of the bahusankhyak (majority) living in Hindustan (India). This is the Law. You can’t say that you are saying this being a High Court Judge."

He further questioned the practice of having multiple wives, Halala, and Triple Talaq, without naming any particular community and said it’s “unacceptable." Asserting that the Uniform Civil Code would soon be implemented in the country, Justice Yadav said that the country which has one constitution and one set of penal laws must have a unified civil law.

His remarks sparked a political uproar as members of several opposition parties moved an impeachment notice against him. The motion is currently pending in the Rajya Sabha.

Yadav had appeared before the Supreme Court collegium headed by the then Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna after he was asked to put forth his version on the controversial statements attributed to him. While justice Yadav reportedly assured the collegium judges he would apologise publicly, he failed to do so in the weeks that followed, according to the Hindustan Times.

In a January 2025 letter to the chief justice of the Allahabad high court, the judge doubled down on his remarks, claiming they had been misrepresented by vested interests and asserting that his speech reflected societal concerns.

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