A major controversy has broken out after eight retired judges came together to issue a sharp public letter against the Opposition’s Vice-Presidential candidate, Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy. The letter expressed strong objection to his private meeting with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, a politician convicted in multiple fodder scam cases.

The open letter, released on Monday, 8th September, raises serious doubts about Reddy’s suitability for one of the highest constitutional offices in India. The judges said they were disturbed by the fact that Reddy, who once served as a Supreme Court judge, decided to hold a private meeting with a person already declared guilty of corruption in multiple courts. They termed the meeting “dismaying” and “dubious in nature”.

Lalu Prasad Yadav has been found guilty of embezzling nearly ₹940 crore from Bihar’s animal husbandry department. The judges reminded that Yadav no longer holds a seat in Parliament and is not even entitled to vote in the Vice-Presidential election. In their words, the meeting could not be justified on electoral grounds and therefore “served no legitimate political purpose.”

Concerns over judgment and propriety

The retired judges stressed that someone of Reddy’s stature, a former Supreme Court judge now aspiring for the Vice President’s post, is expected to exercise the highest standards of propriety. In their view, any association with a convicted politician damages public confidence. They even suggested that such behavior casts a shadow on his intentions and loyalties.

The letter clearly warned: “It is particularly worrying that, despite his distinguished judicial background, Mr. Reddy has independently associated with an individual whose criminal actions have been confirmed by Indian courts.”

They also criticised political parties for their silence on the matter, saying it reflects a partisan approach. According to them, the same groups that often claim to defend constitutional values have chosen to remain quiet when their own candidate faces serious ethical questions. The judges argued that this act of meeting Lalu Prasad was nothing less than a serious lapse in judgment, and that the Indian public should carefully consider whether Reddy is fit for such an important office.

Amit Shah’s attack on Reddy’s past rulings

The issue surrounding Justice Reddy’s candidature did not start with this meeting. Earlier, on 22nd August, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had strongly attacked him during a conclave organised by Malayalam news group Manorama in Kochi. Shah recalled that Reddy, while serving as a judge, had struck down the Salwa Judum, a state-supported militia formed in Chhattisgarh to fight Naxalites.

Shah alleged that this judgment weakened India’s battle against left-wing extremism. He said: “The opposition (Congress) vice presidential candidate, Sudarshan Reddy, is the same person who gave the Salwa Judum judgment in support of leftist extremism and Naxalism. If this had not been done, extremism would have been eradicated by 2020.”

According to him, the Congress nominated Reddy under pressure from its Left allies. He warned that people of Kerala, who have directly faced Naxal violence, would see through this decision. For Shah, Reddy’s nomination reflects the Opposition’s readiness to give space to individuals or groups who are sympathetic towards extremist ideologies.

Lalu Prasad Yadav’s long list of fodder scam convictions

At the centre of this storm is Lalu Prasad Yadav, whose meeting with Reddy has reignited public anger. The fodder scam, one of the biggest corruption scandals in India, took place in 1990s Bihar (before Jharkhand was carved out in 2000). It involved generating fake bills for the animal husbandry department to siphon off almost ₹940 crore of public money.

• On 30th September 2013, Lalu was first convicted for the fraudulent withdrawal of ₹37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury and was sentenced to five years in prison. This conviction barred him from contesting elections for 11 years.

• In 2017, he was sentenced to three and a half years for illegally withdrawing ₹89 lakh from Deoghar treasury.

• In 2018, he was convicted again for irregular withdrawal of ₹33.13 crore from Chaibasa treasury and sentenced to five years. Later that year, he was also sentenced to 14 years imprisonment and fined ₹60 lakh for fraudulent withdrawal of ₹3.76 crore from Dumka treasury.

• In 2022, he was convicted in yet another case involving ₹139.5 crore from Doranda treasury, receiving five years imprisonment and a fine of ₹60 lakh.

• The sixth case, concerning fraudulent withdrawal of ₹46.98 lakh from Bhagalpur treasury, is still under trial.

Currently, Lalu is out on bail on health grounds, but his record remains a strong reminder of how deeply corruption had affected Bihar’s governance in the 1990s.

Names of judges who signed the letter

The letter was signed by eight former judges: Justice S. M. Khandeparkar, Justice Ambadas Joshi, Justice R. K. Marthiya, Justice Devender Kumar Ahuja, Justice S. N. Dhingra, Justice Karam Chand Puri, Justice P. N. Ravindran, and Justice R. S. Rathore.

Their joint intervention has further intensified the debate around Justice Reddy’s candidacy. With their criticism, Amit Shah’s earlier remarks, and the weight of Lalu’s multiple convictions, the Opposition’s Vice-Presidential pick now stands at the centre of intense public and political scrutiny.