SC dropped in-house probe against Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav after Rajya Sabha claimed jurisdiction
The Supreme Court had initiated steps to launch an in-house inquiry against Allahabad High Court judge Shekhar Kumar Yadav for his controversial speech at a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) event in 2024, but dropped the plan following a formal intervention from the Rajya Sabha secretariat, which asserted exclusive jurisdiction over the matter.
Justice Yadav's speech, delivered at the Allahabad High Court Bar Association premises during a VHP legal cell event, contained majoritarian rhetoric and remarks targeting the Muslim community. Among other things, he had claimed India should run as per the wishes of the majority, only a Hindu could make India a ‘Vishwa Guru’, and that triple talaq and halala contributed to societal backwardness. The comments sparked widespread outrage and led to calls for his impeachment.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna had initially moved to examine the judge’s conduct, following a report from the Allahabad High Court chief justice. The apex court collegium later held a closed-door meeting with Justice Yadav in December 2024, during which he reportedly promised to apologise. However, in a January 2025 letter, he stood by his remarks, claiming they were misrepresented.
As the judiciary deliberated further action, the Supreme Court received a letter from the Rajya Sabha secretariat in March 2025. It pointed out that an impeachment motion had already been filed by 55 MPs, and that only Parliament and the President had the authority to act under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. Consequently, the in-house inquiry was shelved to avoid constitutional overlap.
Despite no action taken yet on the impeachment notice, Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar confirmed in February that Parliament held exclusive jurisdiction. The Supreme Court collegium agreed not to proceed further, citing the need to avoid parallel proceedings.
Justice Yadav is set to retire in April 2026. He has not issued any public apology and maintains that his remarks were in line with constitutional values and cultural ethos, even as pressure mounts from Opposition MPs and civil society for clarity on the impeachment process.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
