Apex court sources said the Allahabad High Court judge is likely to be asked to appear and put forth his version as per established practices.At a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) function on December 8, Justice Yadav said the main aim of the uniform civil code was to promote social harmony, gender equality and secularism.He was addressing a provincial convention of the legal cell and high court unit of the VHP in Allahabad High Court.A day later, videos of the judge speaking on provocative issues, including the law working according to the majority, were circulated widely on social media, prompting strong reactions from several quarters, including opposition leaders who questioned his reported statements, labelling it as “hate speech”.Lawyer and convenor of Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms, an NGO, Prashant Bhushan on Tuesday wrote to CJI Sanjiv Khanna seeking an “in-house enquiry” into the conduct of the Allahabad HC judge.Bhushan claimed the judge breached judicial ethics and violated the constitutional principles of impartiality and secularism.According to Bhushan, the remarks undermined the judiciary’s role as a neutral arbiter and eroded public trust in its independence.”A strong institutional response is needed to restore public faith in the judiciary,” the letter said, adding, “We call upon your office sir (the CJI) to restore the faith of the people in the institution of judiciary by immediately setting up an in-house committee to enquire into acts of judicial impropriety by Justice Yadav and by withdrawing all judicial work from Justice Yadav,” Bhushan wrote.
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