Allahabad HC dismisses PIL against Justice Shekhar Yadav’s impeachment motion

The division bench, comprising Justice AR Masoodi and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi, delivered its order on Tuesday while hearing the petition moved by Ashok Pandey, a local lawyer, who represented himself in the case.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the impeachment motion against Justice Shekhar Yadav, calling it “not maintainable.” The motion was initiated after Justice Yadav allegedly made controversial remarks during a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) event in Prayagraj last month.

The court clarified that PILs must represent issues concerning vulnerable sections of society, which was not the case in this instance. (Sourced)

“We do not see that the cause espoused in the present petition relates to any vulnerable section of people. Thus, on the touchstone of maintainability, the present PIL does not qualify the test for initiating proceedings,” stated the court.

The division bench, comprising Justice AR Masoodi and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi, delivered its order on Tuesday while hearing the petition moved by Ashok Pandey, a local lawyer, who represented himself in the case.

The petition sought a directive to stop further proceedings on the impeachment notice submitted by 55 MPs to the Rajya Sabha chairman. The MPs demanded action against Justice Yadav, a sitting judge of the Allahabad high court, for his speech on December 8, 2024, where he allegedly made provocative comments during a VHP event.

The court clarified that PILs must represent issues concerning vulnerable sections of society, which was not the case in this instance.

Justice Yadav’s remarks stirred controversy after videos of his speech circulated on social media. In his speech, the judge reportedly spoke about the law working according to the majority, sparking criticism from opposition leaders who accused him of delivering “hate speech.”