Allahabad HC Judge Withdraws from Ram Temple Seminar After ‘Hate Speech’ Controversy

Allahabad High Court Justice Shekhar Yadav, who had courted controversy with his comments at a VHP event in December, has withdrawn from a seminar on the Ram temple movement at Kumbh Mela, where he was to be the keynote speaker.

Scheduled on January 22, the seminar, titled ‘Rashtriya Sangoshthi: Ram Mandir Aandolan aur Gorakshpeeth’, was due to be addressed by Yadav, who, according to the seminar convener Shashi Prakash Singh, cited the working day as a reason for his withdrawal. “Some members of the organizing committee had already taken his permission for the seminar but since January 22 is a working day, he expressed his inability to attend the seminar,” Singh explained.

The seminar coincides with the first anniversary of Lord Ram Lalla’s consecration ceremony at the Ayodhya temple. The other speakers will include senior RSS pracharak Ashok Bery and senior VHP leader Bade Dinesh Ji Singh.

In December, Justice Yadav caused a controversy at a VHP convention when he made remarks that included comments on the Uniform Civil Code, saying its aim was to achieve social harmony, gender equality, and secularism. When his remarks were widely reported on social media, opposition leaders charged him with “hate speech”.

The Supreme Court responded to the controversy by seeking a report from the Allahabad High Court. Subsequently, Justice Yadav made a personal appearance before the SC collegium led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, clarifying his statements.