Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, ‘Hindu’ judges and Ambedkar’s prophecy
The terror B.R. Ambedkar referred to is now confronting the whole country and the Constitution. His repeated emphasis on the cultivation of constitutional morality constitutes an antidote to that terror, writes S.N. Sahu.
S.N. Sahu
Published on: 21 December 2024, 12:14 pm

THE highly venomous contents of the speech of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of Allahabad High Court, delivered at a programme organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in the court premises, were marked, among others, by his open condemnation of Muslims and Islam and his blind appreciation of Hindu scriptures and denigration of Koran.
In a calculated manner, he employed communal binaries of ‘us’ and ‘them’, denoting Hindus and Muslims respectively to flag the immediate religious identities of people to treat them unequally, in complete disregard of the constitutional vision of equality and equal opportunity for all regardless of the faith they pursue.
His usage of phrases “hamaari Gita” (our Gita) and “aapki Koran” (Your Koran) flagged his prejudiced mindset against Islam and it was all the more intensely reflected in his speech when he said, “You can’t disrespect a woman who has been recognised as a goddess in our Shastras and Vedas. You can’t claim the right to have four wives, perform halala, or practice triple talaq. You say, we have the right to say ‘triple talaq’, and not give maintenance to women.”
In displaying his brazen contempt for the Constitution he said, “I have no hesitation in saying that this is Hindustan, this country would function as per the wishes of the bahusankhyak (majority) living in Hindustan.”
Ambedkar's prophetic remarks
In displaying his brazen contempt for the Constitution he said, “I have no hesitation in saying that this is Hindustan, this country would function as per the wishes of the bahusankhyak (majority) living in Hindustan.”
He employed a highly derogatory term “kathmulla” to refer to Muslims and claimed that Hindus are reformed, tolerant and generous in contrast to Muslims who he said are reared from their childhood days with “hinsa ki pravritti” (violent tendencies).