Mistake on part of Law Ministry to tweet VHP Judge's Meet; it was a closed-door event: VHP President

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) International Working President and advocate Alok Kumar told Bar & Bench that it was a mistake on the part of the Union Law Ministry to tweet about the Judge's Meet held in New Delhi on September 8, organised to discuss religious topics..The event was attended by former Supreme Court and High Court judges, as well as Union Minister of State for Law and Justice (independent charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal..Kumar said that the event was a private gathering focused on discussing issues related to the betterment of India."Only and only former retired judges attended the event. It was closed-door event. Law Minister making picture public was a mistake," he said.Reportedly, Kumar stated that the event was organised to discuss various matters, including the Waqf Bill and temple-mosque issues, among others.“We had invited retired judges of the Supreme Court and high courts. The collective issues before the society — such as the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, handing back of temples, handing over of temples under government control (to the society), conversions etc — were discussed. The objective was free exchange of views between the judges and the VHP so that both develop an understanding of each other.".A debate sparked on Twitter after Meghwal posted a tweet on his official X handle with images concerning the VHP event."Today, by participating in the Judge's Meet ceremony organized by the legal cell of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, we had an elaborate discussion on the topics related to judicial reforms related to the creation of a developed India," he posted..As per information provided on the VHP website, the organisation was established in 1964 to unite the Hindu community, protect the Hindu religion, and serve society.A functionary in the VHP, speaking on the condition of anonymity, informed Bar & Bench that two sitting Delhi High Court judges also attended the event. However, when VHP President Kumar was officially contacted regarding the same, he denied their presence..Former Madhya Pradesh High Court judge Justice Rohit Arya, who recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) post-retirement, was clearly visible in two of the pictures posted by Meghwal.In an interview to Bar & Bench, Justice Arya had admitted that his 'philosophy for common good' has always been in line with the BJP's ideals..Former Supreme Court judge Justice Hemant Gupta, who retired in October last year, was also present at the event, sharing the dais with other speakers.Post-retirement, he was appointed as Chairperson of the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (NDIAC).Justice Gupta made headlines in October 2022 for his verdict in the Hijab case, where he upheld the Karnataka government's order allowing educational institutions to ban students from wearing hijabs. He reasoned that the move was intended to promote parity, ensure uniformity, and maintain a secular environment in schools..Another retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel also attended the event. He served as Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal from 2018 until his retirement in July last year.