Controversial HC judge to skip Ram Temple seminar at Kumbh

Allahabad high court judge Justice Shekhar Yadav, whose speech at a Vishwa Hindu Parishad event in December kicked up a controversy, has opted out of a seminar on the Ram temple movement in the Kumbh Mela area on January 22, where he was scheduled to deliver the keynote address, an organiser said on Saturday.

According to the organisers, Justice Yadav expressed his inability to attend the 'Rashtriya Sangoshthi: Ram Mandir Aandolan aur Gorakshpeeth' seminar, saying January 22 is a working day.

Seminar convener Shashi Prakash Singh said, "Some members of the organising committee had taken consent from Justice Shekhar Yadav to attend this programme. However, since the seminar is a working day, he has expressed his inability to attend it and has informed the organising committee about it."

Singh said the seminar is being held to mark the first anniversary of the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram Lalla in the Ayodhya temple.

Senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharak Ashok Bery and senior VHP leader Bade Dinesh Ji Singh are also scheduled to address the seminar.

Addressing a provincial convention of the legal cell and the high court unit of the VHP at the High Court complex on December 8, Justice Yadav had said among other things that the main aim of the Uniform Civil Code was to promote social harmony, gender equality and secularism.

The following day, videos of the judge speaking on provocative issues were circulated widely on social media, prompting strong reactions from several quarters, including opposition leaders who questioned his reported statement, labelling it as 'hate speech'.

On December 10, the Supreme Court took note of news reports over the statements and sought a report from the Allahabad high court.

Yadav appeared before the SC collegium headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and was asked to put forth his version on the statements made.