Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court has openly aligned himself with the Hindutva movement, using his position to push a majoritarian agenda and spew Islamophobic hate.

On December 8, 2024, at an event organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad—a right-wing Hindu organization—Justice Yadav made remarks that were not only Islamophobic but also an explicit endorsement of Hindu supremacy.

While speaking on the Uniform Civil Code, he used the slur “kathmullah” and framed Hindu and Muslim identities in opposition, saying, “humaari Gita, aapki Quran” (our Bhagavad Gita, your Quran), positioning India as a state where the Hindu majority’s will must dictate the nation’s direction. His words went beyond casual bigotry—they were a call for a legal system that privileges Hindus over all others.

He dismissed any criticism by claiming that this was simply the natural order: in a family, society, or country, the majority’s happiness must dictate the rules. Such a statement, coming from a sitting High Court judge, was not just a Hindutva talking point but an explicit rejection of constitutional secularism.

On December 16, when 55 MPs led by Kapil Sibal moved an impeachment motion against him in the Rajya Sabha for his hate speech, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was immediately filed in the Allahabad High Court to shield him.

The petition, filed by Advocate Ashok Pandey, argued that Justice Yadav was merely expressing his views “as a Hindu” and that his words did not constitute hate speech since the audience consisted solely of Hindus. The plea even attempted to justify the use of the slur, portraying it as a personal reaction to alleged past grievances.

On December 17, Justice Yadav was reportedly summoned before the Supreme Court Collegium, where he was told his remarks were “avoidable.” Instead of backing down, he doubled down. A month later, he formally informed the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court that he stood by his words.

On February 1, 2025, a day after his retirement, Justice Hrishikesh Roy confirmed to the media that Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna had initiated an in-house inquiry against him. This marked a rare moment in Indian judicial history: a sitting judge being investigated for hate speech rather than financial misconduct.