The Supreme Court witnessed a dramatic disruption on Monday when an elderly man hurled a shoe towards Chief Justice of India BR Gavai during a courtroom hearing. The footwear, however, failed to reach the bench, and the individual was swiftly restrained by security personnel.
Unruffled by the outburst, Chief Justice Gavai told the court, “I am the last person to be affected by such things,” before continuing proceedings as scheduled.
Eyewitnesses recounted that the incident occurred shortly after the day’s first matter had been taken up. The man, later identified as Kishore Rakesh through a proximity card typically issued to lawyers and clerks, raised slogans declaring, “India won’t tolerate Sanatan’s insult,” before throwing the shoe. His motives remain unclear, and security agencies are questioning him.
Legal circles reacted sharply to the episode. Senior advocate Indira Jaising described it as “a blatant casteist attack on the Supreme Court of India” and urged a collective response from the judges. “The lawyer must be named, and legal action taken against him. This appears to be a blatant casteist attack on the Supreme Court of India. It deserves to be condemned by all judges of the Supreme Court by a united press statement that ideological attacks will not be tolerated by the court. Befitting the court’s dignity, the CJI Gavai went about judicial work with no visible disturbance,” she wrote on X.
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The dramatic interruption followed a wave of criticism directed at the Chief Justice over a remark he made last week during the hearing of a public interest plea seeking judicial intervention for the reconstruction of a damaged idol of Lord Vishnu in Khajuraho. Rejecting the plea, Gavai reportedly remarked, “Go and ask the deity himself to do something,” a comment that ignited outrage on social media.
Reacting to the controversy, Gavai clarified, “Someone told me the other day that the comments I made have been portrayed on social media in a certain manner. I respect all religions.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta defended the Chief Justice, observing, “We used to know Newton’s Law – every action has an equal reaction, but now every action has a disproportionate social media reaction.” Senior advocate Kapil Sibal concurred, remarking, “We suffer this every day. Social media is an unruly horse, and there is no way to tame it!”
Despite the hostile gesture in court, the Chief Justice’s composure and continuation of proceedings underscored his refusal to be swayed by provocation.
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