3 min readNew DelhiApr 15, 2026 04:33 AM IST
Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court is set to retire Wednesday, leaving behind a stalled impeachment bid in Parliament over a contentious speech he delivered at an event organised by an RSS-affiliated organisation in December 2024.
Justice Yadav served as an assistant government advocate before his elevation to the High Court Bench, reportedly amidst objections from within the Supreme Court.
In October 2018, the Collegium, under CJI Dipak Misra and comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Madan B Lokur, deferred the proposal to elevate Yadav. However, in February 2019, a new Collegium, led by then CJI Gogoi and comprising Justices A K Sikri and S A Bode, recommended his appointment.
Justice Yadav was appointed as an additional judge in December 2019 and confirmed as a permanent judge in March 2021.
In several orders related to cow slaughter, Justice Yadav suggested that the Union government declare the cow the national animal, and make cow protection a fundamental right for Hindus, citing the many benefits of a cow and its milk.
In October 2021, while granting bail to a man accused of making social media posts against Hindu deities, Justice Yadav suggested that Parliament pass a law to honour deities Ram and Krishna, the Ramayana, the Gita and their authors Valmiki and Ved Vyas. The speech that led to the move to impeach him was delivered by Justice Yadav on December 8, 2024, when he was addressing an event organised by the Bharat Vikas Parishad, an RSS affiliate, on the Allahabad High Court premises.
Speaking on the Uniform Civil Code, Justice Yadav said: “I have no hesitation in saying that India will run according to the wishes of the majority.” He also allegedly used a derogatory slur for Muslims, while criticising practices such as triple talaq.
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Thirteen senior advocates of the Supreme Court wrote to then CJI Sanjiv Khanna seeking that the CBI register an FIR against Justice Yadav.
The Supreme Court Collegium subsequently summoned Justice Yadav, and reportedly asked him to issue a public apology on record. However, the judge purportedly declined, and then wrote to the Allahabad High Court Chief Justice, stating that he stood by his remarks.
On December 13, 2024, 54 Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha submitted a notice to impeach Justice Yadav, accusing him of hate speech and incitement to communal disharmony. Justice Yadav received support from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Eventually, the impeachment bid didn’t advance, as the Rajya Sabha Secretariat cited a “mismatch” in some of the 54 signatures in the submitted motion and began a verification process. By mid-2025, 44 MPs had authenticated their signatures, falling short of the 50 required to move the motion forward.
