Congress Media In-charge Pawan Khera on Saturday raised the issue of Judge Vibhanshu Sudheer's transfer from the post of Sambhal Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) and said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should not bring a "tried and tested model" in another state to "control the judiciary" in Uttar Pradesh.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi, Khera said, "Lawyers in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, are outraged, and slogans are being raised there. Young people, women, students, labourers, religious leaders, the middle class -- every section of the country is troubled by the BJP."
He shared a video of the Gujarat riots accused Babu Bajrangi's video and said that the clip "clearly shows how then-Gujarat Chief Minister changed the judge to give him relief. This means it's a tested model, which is now being implemented in Uttar Pradesh."
He further asserted that Sudheer's transfer "shows how the BJP wants to control the judiciary", adding that the Congress party stands with the lawyers of Sambhal. This comes as the Allahabad High Court recently ordered the transfer of 14 judicial officers, including Vibhanshu Sudheer.
Sudheer has now been posted as Civil Judge, Senior Division, Sultanpur. The transfer came days after Sudheer, on January 19, directed the Sambhal police to register an FIR against the then Circle Officer Anuj Chaudhary and the Station House Officer in connection with the shooting of a youth during the Sambhal violence of November 2024.
Following the order, the Sambhal police had stated that they would approach the Allahabad High Court, challenging the CJM court's directive. "Following this order, the judge was transferred and demoted in his next posting. Then a new judge was appointed in Sambhal, but when the lawyers protested, he was quietly removed as well," Khera claimed.
The Congress leader further asserted that this is not the first case when the judges were transferred to "change the orders". In the Delhi riots, he claimed that Justice Muralidhar, who had given orders against BJP leaders, was also transferred in the middle of the night, adding that this shows "how the BJP arbitrarily transfers judges who hold up the scales of justice".
Khera said that one "example model" is in Gujarat, where many individuals like D.G. Vanzara, Maya Kodnani, and Babu Bajrangi were granted relief by changing the judges. "There is also another model, where 'Mota Bhai' (a term often used to refer to a powerful figure) simply transfers the judge elsewhere," he said.
"Such a model is extremely dangerous for democracy and justice. Therefore, we welcome the initiative taken by the legal community to protect democracy and justice," he added. The Congress leader said that what happened in Sambhal, Delhi, Jaipur, and Gujarat "shows that after God, if people expect justice from anyone, it is the king (the ruler)."
"Even God delivers justice to people through the king, but what happens when the king himself becomes an obstacle to justice and prevents it from being delivered? If the king considers religion, caste, and language while dispensing justice, then imagine how long democracy can survive in this country," he said.
"That is why the Congress party stands with the legal community, because they have taken to the streets for justice. We hope that Yogi Adityanath will not implement this 'Gujarat model' in Uttar Pradesh, because this model will not provide justice to the common man," Khera added.