Less than seven months after he acquitted all 32 accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case, in what was his last day at work, retired district judge Surendra Kumar Yadav was on Monday appointed as a deputy Lok Ayukta in Uttar Pradesh.
As judge of the Special CBI Court, Mr. Yadav had on September 30, 2020, acquitted senior BJP leaders L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Singh and Uma Bharti and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh and others in the Babri Masjid demolition case, almost 28 years after the December 6, 1992 incident, for lack of credible evidence.
Governor Anandiben Patel signed the notification appointing him as Deputy Lok Ayukta (III) on April 6, the State government said.
On Monday, Mr. Yadav took oath in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Lok Ayukta Justice Sanjay Mishra and other officials, the government said.
A native of Jaunpur, Mr. Yadav completed his schooling and higher studies in adjoining district Varanasi. Incidentally, he started and ended his legal career from the same district, then Faizabad now renamed Ayodhya.
In June, 1990 he began his career as an additional munsif in Faizabad. Over the years, he worked as a munsif, ACJM, CJM and district judge in various districts of Uttar Pradesh.
He retired as district judge of Lucknow on September 30, 2019 but continued on extension to hear the Babri Masjid demolition case as the judge of the Special CBI Court till his retirement the following year.
Mr. Yadav's court last September rejected the charges of criminal conspiracy levelled by the CBI against the accused, observing that the chargesheet did not have any evidence to show that they “got together in common intent” with a group of “hooligan kar sevaks” to bring down the mosque.
