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Former Supreme Court judge, Justice Hemant Gupta, told The Quint on Tuesday that he attended an event organised by the legal cell of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) as a 'citizen of India' to discuss 'current events and affairs'.
Justice Gupta, who retired from the Supreme Court in October 2022, said, "The 8 September event by VHP legal cell was a meeting attended by the Union Law Minister for a discussion on development of India."
A report by The Indian Express had previously stated that the event was attended by as many as 30 retired judges of the Supreme Court and various high courts.
VHP sources familiar with the event, on the condition of anonymity, told The Quint that religious conversions, cow protection, temple-mosque disputes in Varanasi and Mathura, and persecution of the Hindu minorities in neighbouring countries were among the key issues discussed at this meeting held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.
In his response, Justice Gupta added: "I attended this event as a citizen of India. As far as retired judges attending such events post retirement is concerned, I cannot comment about others but I have the liberty to associate with platforms and forums to discuss and deliberate upon current issues and topics as any other citizen of the country."
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who also attended the event, shared images on social media platform X and wrote, "Participated in the Judges' Meet organised by the Legal Cell of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and discussed issues related to judicial reforms for building a developed India. On this occasion, retired judges, jurists, senior lawyers and other eminent intellectuals were present in the dignified presence of Vishwa Hindu Parishad President Shri Alok Kumar ji."