New Delhi: Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, a Lok Sabha member representing Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), on Tuesday said he would be moving an impeachment motion in the Lower House of Parliament against Allahabad High Court Judge Justice Shekhar K. Yadav for his recent remarks which, according to him, reflected “hatred and deep-rooted communalism”.
He said his motion, which will require signatures of at least 100 MPs before it is tabled, has got the endorsement of 7 MPs.
The NC leader said he has talked to leaders of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Trinamool Congress and got assurance that they would sign and support the motion.
Mehdi was referring to certain comments made by Justice Yadav at a public programme recently.
“I am moving impeachment motion in 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,” the MP from Srinagar posted on social media platform X.
“I need the signatures of 100 members to move this motion. More than 7 members including asadowaisi (Asaduddin Owaisi) sahab, Shri Rajkumar Roat Hon’ble MP from Rajasthan, Shri Sudhama Prasad ji Hon’ble MP from Bihar, Jinab Mohibbullah Sahab Hon’ble MP from U.P and Jinab Ziau Rahman sahab, Hon’ble MP from U.P signed it and I thank them for their support and signatures,” Ruhullah said.
“I also talked with the members from INCIndia, Samajwadi party, arivalayam and AITCofficial who assured me that 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 said.
The draft of the motion posted by Mehdi along with his post on X says that the Judge is sought to be removed from his office “on the charge of proved misbehaviour”.
It reads: “The statements 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.”
The “grounds for misbehaviour” cited in the motion include that “The Judge through his comments has made it clear to any reasonable person his political biases, hatred, and deep-rooted communalism. These unfortunate traits render him incapable of serving as a non-partisan judge as is required under Article 14 of the Constitution.”
It adds: “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 organisation i.e. Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Through these actions, Justice Yadav engaged in activities that blur the line between judicial office and political activism.”
The draft motion says “In light of the aforementioned statements made by Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, we, the undersigned Members of Parliament, submit that his continued tenure is detrimental to the integrity, impartiality, and secular ethos of the judiciary. We, therefore, respectfully urge this House to adopt this motion.”
