Delhi, Oct 6: A 71-year-old lawyer threw a shoe at Chief Justice of India B R Gavai inside the Supreme Court on Monday morning. Delhi Police confirmed they reached the court following the incident and said further investigation is underway.

According to police, the lawyer, identified as Rakesh Kishore, hurled his sports shoe at Chief Justice Gavai during the proceedings in Courtroom No. 1 at 11:35 am.

A senior police officer said, “Security personnel immediately overpowered him. He was handed over to the Supreme Court’s security unit. He lives in Mayur Vihar and is a registered member of the Supreme Court Bar Association.”

Preliminary inquiry suggested the lawyer was upset with remarks made by Chief Justice Gavai during a recent hearing related to the restoration of a Vishnu idol in Khajuraho temple premises in Madhya Pradesh.

Despite the attack, Chief Justice Gavai remained calm and urged lawyers to continue proceedings without interruption.

As he was being escorted out, the lawyer shouted slogans, saying, “Hindustan will not tolerate insult to Sanatan Dharma,” according to The Indian Express.

Officials said Delhi Police is coordinating with the Registrar General of the Supreme Court. New Delhi district authorities are looking into the matter before any legal action is initiated.

Chief Justice Gavai has Z-plus security cover provided by the Delhi Police security wing.

A lawyer present in the court told The Indian Express that a man in lawyer’s attire threw an object at the Chief Justice. Security later confirmed it was a shoe aimed at him. Witnesses also reported hearing slogans as the lawyer was taken away.

At the time, Chief Justice Gavai was presiding over a two-judge bench with Justice K Vinod Chandran. On September 16, he had dismissed a petition seeking reconstruction of a seven-foot-tall damaged Vishnu idol at the Javari temple in Khajuraho, remarking that the case was “purely for publicity.” He had told the petitioner, “Go and ask God yourself. If you are a true devotee of Lord Vishnu, pray and meditate.”

Later, Chief Justice Gavai clarified, “I believe in all religions. I respect all religions.” His remarks were made in the context of the Archaeological Survey of India’s jurisdiction over conservation.

People's News Monitoring Service