CJI BR Gavai Breaks Silence On Attempted Shoe Attack: "For Us, It's A Forgotten Chapter"
Justice Bhuyan however said that it was a serious matter which should not be let off lightly.
Chief Justice of India BR Gavai on Wednesday briefly addressed the incident in which an advocate tried to hurl a shoe at him in the Supreme Court earlier this week, describing it as a "forgotten chapter".
Speaking during a courtroom exchange, the CJI said, “My learned brother and I were very shocked with what happened on Monday… for us it is a forgotten chapter.”
The remarks came amid a discussion that also involved Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who recalled a similar incident from a decade ago. “I also wrote an article on this.. something similar happened 10 years ago in the neighbouring court. The two judges there had taken a different view on what procedure should be followed while invoking contempt powers,” he said.
Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, who was also part of the bench, expressed his strong disapproval of the attack, stating, “I have my own views on this. He is the Chief Justice of India, it's not a matter of joke! He is not apologetic thereafter; it's an affront to the institution.” Justice Bhuyan was apparently referring to the CJI's decision to refrain from pursuing further legal action against the offender, a 71-year-old lawyer named Rakesh Kishore.
"As judges over the years, we will do a lot of things which others may not think are justifiable, but that does not change our opinion about what we did," Justice Bhuyan said. Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta said that the lawyer's act was "completely unpardonable" and that he was let off only because of the CJI's "magnanimity."
The incident occurred inside Courtroom No. 1 of the Supreme Court on Monday during the morning session when Kishore attempted to hurl a shoe at CJI BR Gavai while proceedings were underway. Security personnel immediately intervened and restrained him. He shouted, "Sanatan ka apman nahi sahega Hindustan" (Hindustan will not tolerate insults to Sanatan Dharma) while being escorted out. Despite the disturbance, Chief Justice Gavai had remained composed and continued with the day's proceedings.
The Bar Council of India later suspended him, terming his conduct unbecoming. He was later let off by the Delhi Police as the Supreme Court Registrar General declined to pursue further legal action.
A petition has been filed before the Attorney General seeking his consent to initiate criminal contempt action against Kishore. An FIR has been lodged against the lawyer in Bengaluru.
The bid to attack the CJI drew widespread condemnation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Chief Ministers MK Stalin, Pinarayi Vijayan, Siddaramaiah, Revanth Reddy, Mamata Banerjee and many other political leaders condemned the act and expressed solidarity with the CJI. The Supreme Court Bar Association, the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association, and major bar associations of many High Courts condemned the act.