Lawyer Defends Move Against CJI

New Delhi:A day after attempting to hurl a shoe at Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai inside the Supreme Court, suspended lawyer Rakesh Kishore on Tuesday defended his actions, saying he has “no regrets” as he was “deeply hurt” by the CJI’s remarks in a case linked to the reconstruction of a Lord Vishnu idol in Madhya Pradesh’s Khajuraho temple complex. The CJI, on his part, during a court hearing earlier in the day, expressed concern over oral remarks made by judges during court proceedings being misrepresented on social media.

Cutting across party lines and for the second consecutive day, leaders from west to east and south to north on Tuesday strongly condemned the attack. In CJI’s home state Maharashtra, leaders of the NCP(SP) staged protests claiming it was a bid to attack the Constitution and democracy.

The Delhi police released Mr Kishore on Monday evening after the apex court’s registrar general refused to press charges against him and asked the police to hand over the shoes and documents to the advocate.

On Tuesday Mr Kishore said, “The CJI should think that when he is sitting on such a high constitutional post, he should understand the meaning of 'Milord' and uphold its dignity. You go to Mauritius and say that the country will not run with a bulldozer. I ask the CJI and those opposing me: Is the bulldozer action by Yogi (Adityanath) Ji against those who encroached on government property wrong? I am hurt and will continue to be so.”

Justifying his act in the courtroom, Mr Kishore, while speaking to a news agency, claimed it was a reaction to what he called “mockery” of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed on September 16. “I was deeply hurt. Justice Gavai completely mocked it. Mockery in the sense that he said, 'Go pray to the idol, ask the idol to restore its own head',” he said.

Mr Kishore alleged that the judiciary acts differently in cases involving other communities, but it is disheartening how the court issues orders when it comes to Sanatan Dharma. “We see that the same Chief Justice takes big steps when a case comes up against other communities… Let me give an example: In Haldwani, railway land is encroached upon by a specific community. When attempts were made to remove the encroachment, the Supreme Court imposed a stay three years ago, which is still in effect today. Similarly, when the Nupur Sharma case came up, the court said, 'You have spoiled the atmosphere'. They do all that. That is perfectly fine,” he said.

Mr Kishore also claimed his actions were not driven by intoxication or impulse but by “emotional distress” and stressed that he neither fears nor regrets what happened.

“Although I am strongly against violence, you must also consider why a non-violent, simple, honest person, who has no case against him till date and doesn't belong to any group, had to do all this. This is certainly something worth thinking about. The whole country should reflect on what happened,” Mr Kishore said.

Mr Kishore claims to hold an MSc, PhD, and LLB degree and is a gold medallist and added, “My name is Dr Rakesh Kishore. Can someone tell my caste? Maybe I am a Dalit too. It is one-sided that you are taking advantage of the fact that he (CJI Gavai) is a Dalit. He is not a Dalit. He was a Sanatani Hindu first. He then renounced his faith and followed Buddhism. If he feels that he has come out of Hinduism after following Buddhism, how is he still a Dalit? This is about mindset.”

Earlier in the day, Justice Gavai, during a hearing in the court, shared an anecdote on a lighter note about having restrained his colleague, Justice K. Vinod Chandran, from making certain open observations during a previous hearing of a matter to avoid potential misinterpretation online.

“My learned brother (Justice Chandran) had something to comment. I stopped him from expressing it when we were hearing the Dheeraj Mor case. Otherwise, on this social media, we do not know what will be reported. I requested my learned brother to restrict it only to my ears," the CJI said.

The Monday incident continued to draw sharp criticism from the political spectrum.

The attempted shoe-hurling incident drew widespread condemnation. Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu called the incident unacceptable and emphasised that such actions have no place within a civilised and democratic society.

“Upholding the dignity of our judiciary is fundamental to the functioning of our democracy,” Mr Naidu stated in a post on X.

Andhra Pradesh deputy CM Pawan Kalyan and YSRP chief YS Jagan Mohan also condemned the attack.

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy described the incident as deeply disturbing and an affront to the dignity of the nation's highest judicial institution.

"I strongly condemn this cowardly act. The attack on CJI Gavai Ji is an assault on the soul of democracy," Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren said in a post on X.

The AAP also protested in east Delhi's Mayur Vihar against the attack. The controversial lawyer is a resident of Mayur Vihar in the national capital.