Justice Yadav appears before SC collegium

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court collegium on Tuesday convened a meeting with Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the Allahabad high court, a rare intervention that was meant to address the latter's controversial remarks at a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) event earlier this month.

- Utkarsh Anand

Justice Yadav's statements were seen as targeting the Muslim community and invoked themes of majority rule, raising concerns about judicial impartiality and propriety.

The meeting, which took place in Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna's chamber, lasted for 30 minutes and was attended by all five collegium members—Justices Bhushan R Gavai, Surya Kant, Hrishikesh Roy and Abhay S Oka, in addition to the CJI.

Towards the end of the session, Justice Yadav was counselled in a one-on-one interaction with CJI Khanna.

According to people familiar with the matter, the collegium reviewed a transcript of Justice Yadav's speech at the VHP event prior to the meeting. During the session, the high court judge was asked to explain his remarks, clarify key aspects of the controversy and bring certain details on record.

"The collegium wanted to satisfy the principles of natural justice by allowing the high court judge to present his version before any further steps are taken," said a person aware of the proceedings. "Justice Yadav was also counselled during the meeting, which was more than just a formal interaction. He has been asked to address certain questions, after which the collegium will take a final call."