Amit Shah Slams Opposition VP Pick Reddy Over ‘Salwa Judum’ Ruling: ‘Naxalism Lasted Due To…’

Last Updated:August 25, 2025, 10:40 IST

Amit Shah criticised former Supreme Court judge and INDIA bloc's VP nominee Sudershan Reddy over his Salwa Judum verdict.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah (Image: PTI)

Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched an attack on the INDIA bloc’s Vice Presidential candidate, Sudershan Reddy – also a former Supreme Court judge – over his 2011 Salwa Judum verdict, stating that it helped Naxalism last for over two decades in the country.

Shah said that Reddy’s “leftist ideology" must have been considered by the Opposition parties before nominating him as their VP candidate against NDA’s pick CP Radhakrishnan, who carries an RSS background with him.

“It is there on the Supreme Court records. He disbanded Salwa Judum. He ended the right to self-defence for Adivasis. This is the reason that Naxalism has sustained for two more decades. At that time, Naxalism was on the verge of dying. This is in the apex court’s record; it is their judgment," the Home Minister said in an interview with news agency ANI.

“Schools that were destroyed due to Naxals, the CRPF and security forces were deployed there. They were ousted within the night with the help of the order. Security forces were attacked in many places. More than Sudershan Reddy, Rahul Gandhi must answer on this, as this is the reason he (Reddy) has been picked – the left-wing ideology. Due to this judgment, the Naxals have been protected," he added.

Sudershan Reddy’s Response To Amit Shah

Last Friday, Shah had hit out at Reddy over his Salwa Judum verdict and said that he is an individual who “helped Naxalism".

“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," news agency PTI quoted Shah as saying.

Responding to the Home Minister’s charges, the former Supreme Court judge said that the judgment was delivered by the top court and not by him personally.

“Judgement on Salwa Judum was Supreme Court’s, not mine. I do not wish to join issue with Home Minister," he told PTI, adding that the upcoming vice presidential election was “not a contest between two individuals, but two different ideologies".

What Is Salwa Judum Judgement Amit Shah Referred To?

The Home Minister referred to the 2011 judgement of the top court, authored by Justice Sudershan Reddy, that declared the movement backed by Chhattisgarh’s then BJP government, led by Raman Singh, to recruit and arm local tribal youths as Special Police Officers (SPOs) to fight Maoist insurgents as illegal and unconstitutional.

The SPOs were popularly known as Koya Commandos or Salwa Judum, who were expanded with government and security force support, aiming to counter Maoist (Naxalite) influence in tribal areas where the police and security forces had limited reach.

However, the Supreme Court’s judgment directed the SPOs to be immediately disarmed.

News politics Amit Shah Slams Opposition VP Pick Reddy Over ‘Salwa Judum’ Ruling: ‘Naxalism Lasted Due To…’

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