Retired judges slam Amit Shah over “unfortunate, prejudicial misinterpretation” of the Salwa Judum verdict, defending Sudershan Reddy and warning against political attacks undermining judiciary independence.
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NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused retired Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy of “supporting Maoism” in connection with the 2011 Salwa Judum judgment. A group of 18 retired judges, including some of India’s most respected former Supreme Court justices, has strongly condemned Shah’s remarks, calling them “unfortunate” and cautioning against misrepresentation of judicial verdicts.
What is the Controversy?
Speaking in Kerala on August 22, 2025, Amit Shah alleged that Justice (retd.) Reddy’s judgment in the Salwa Judum case had “helped Naxalism” and claimed that Left Wing Extremism could have ended by 2020 had the verdict not been delivered. He further accused the former judge of being “inspired by the ideology” that gave rise to the ruling.
He said,
“Sudershan Reddy is the person who helped Naxalism. He gave Salwa Judum judgment. If the Salwa Judum judgment had not been given, the Naxal terrorism would have ended by 2020. He is the person who was inspired by the ideology that gave Salwa Judam judgment.”
Justice Reddy, however, declined to escalate the matter, saying he did not wish to “join issues” with Shah. He clarified that the Salwa Judum verdict was not his alone but the unanimous decision of a Supreme Court bench, and suggested the Home Minister might not have read the full judgment.
The Salwa Judum Judgment (2011)
The Salwa Judum movement, launched in 2005 in Chhattisgarh, was a state-supported militia movement aimed at countering Maoist insurgency. It involved arming and training tribal youths as Special Police Officers (SPOs).
In 2011, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices B. Sudershan Reddy and S.S. Nijjar ruled that the practice was illegal and unconstitutional. The court ordered the disbanding of Salwa Judum, holding that arming civilians violated fundamental rights and risked severe abuse of power.
Retired Judges Respond
In a joint statement, 18 eminent jurists, including former Supreme Court judges Kurien Joseph, Madan B Lokur, J Chelameswar, A.K. Patnaik, Abhay Oka, Gopala Gowda, and Vikramjit Sen, defended the integrity of the judgment and criticised Shah’s comments.
They stated:
- The Salwa Judum verdict “nowhere supports Naxalism or its ideology.”
- Misinterpreting the judgment for political purposes is prejudicial and could have a chilling effect on serving judges.
- Campaigns for high constitutional offices like the Vice-Presidency should be conducted with civility and dignity, avoiding “name-calling.”
“The statement of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, publicly misinterpreting the judgment of the Supreme Court in the Salwa Judum case, is unfortunate. The judgment nowhere supports, either expressly or by compelling implication of its text, Naxalism or its ideology,”
the statement signed by the 18 former judges said.
Apart from Supreme Court judges, three former chief justices of High Courts, Govind Mathur, S. Muralidhar, and Sanjib Banerjee, along with several former high court judges, senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, and academic Prof. Mohan Gopal, also endorsed the statement.
Case Title:
Nandini Sundar and Ors. Versus State of Chattisgarh
WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) NO. 250 OF 2007
READ ORDER HERE
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