‘To say the least...’: Sibal attack PM, Shah after shoe hurled at CJI BR Gavai over Hindu idol remark
Calling the behaviour of the lawyer Rakesh Kishore “uncivilised”, Kapil Sibal said that it must be publicly condemned.
Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal on Monday questioned the “silence” at first of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior members of his cabinet over the shoe-hurling incident on Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai in the Supreme Court.
About three hours after Sibal's post — and about eight hours after the incident — Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the attack on the CJI “utterly condemnable”. He also appreciated Justice Gavai's calm in the face of such a situation.
Sibal earlier said the behaviour of the man who threw the show, lawyer Rakesh Kishore, must be publicly condemned. “The uncivilised behaviour of a member of the Supreme Court Bar must be publicly condemned by one and all since it is an affront to the majesty of the court,” the former Supreme Court Bar Association president wrote on X.
The former Congress leader and ex-law minister questioned the silence till then of PM Modi, home minister Amit Shah and current law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on the issue and called it “surprising”.
In his X post later, Prime Minister Modi wrote: “Spoke to Chief Justice of India, Justice BR Gavai Ji. The attack on him earlier today in the Supreme Court premises has angered every Indian. There is no place for such reprehensible acts in our society. It is utterly condemnable. I appreciated the calm displayed by Justice Gavai in the face of such a situation. It highlights his commitment to the values of justice and strengthening the spirit of our Constitution."
The incident took place when a bench led by the CJI BR Gavai was hearing the mentioning of cases by lawyers on Monday.
The lawyer, identified as 71-year-old Rakesh Kishore, approached the dais, removed his shoe, and tried to throw it towards the judge. However, the security personnel immediately intervened and escorted him out of the court premises, preventing the attack.
As he was being taken away, the lawyer was heard shouting, “Sanatan ka apman nahi sahenge (We will not tolerate any insult to Sanatan).”
Sonia Gandhi reacts to the CJI shoe-hurling incident
Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has condemned the incident in the Supreme Court on Monday, in which a lawyer tried to attack the Chief Justice of India, BR Gavai, by hurling a shoe at him.
“No words are adequate to condemn the attack on the Honourable Chief Justice of India in the Supreme Court itself. It is an assault not just on him but on our Constitution as well. Chief Justice Gavai has been very gracious, but the nation must stand in solidarity with him unitedly with a deep sense of anguish and outrage,” Sonia Gandhi's statement read.
Congress leader Udit Raj called the attack on CJI Gavai “a direct attack on the constitution”.
“The failed attempt to throw a shoe at Chief Justice Gavai ji is not the result of any coincidence, but rather seems to be a symbol of the Sanghi–Manuvadi mentality. It's possible that their mother ji's refusal to be a guest at the Vijayadashami event has hurt the RSS,” the former MP said in a post on X.
The Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) called the incident "yet another example of the Manuvadi and communal venom injected into society by Hindutva communal forces."
"The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemns the act of throwing a shoe at the Chief Justice of India, BR Gavai. It demands that immediate action be taken against the concerned advocate, who is registered with the Supreme Court Bar Association and has been apprehended. It is highly shocking and deplorable that a shoe was thrown at CJI Gavai in an open courtroom, accompanied by slogans shouted in support of Sanatan Dharma," the CPI(M) said in a statement.
Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary D Raja called it a direct assault on the judiciary.
"I strongly condemn the shocking incident of a shoe being hurled at Chief Justice of India BR Gavai inside the Supreme Court. This is a direct assault on the dignity of the judiciary. This is not merely an attack on an individual judge, but a challenge before the entire judiciary to abide by the right-wing's code of conduct instead of the Constitution of India," Raja said in a post on X.
"It is clear from the utterances of the assailant which ideology drives such hate. The communal and casteist poison spread by the right-wing has reached a stage where even the CJI, a Dalit judge, is openly targeted. This mindset must be exposed, isolated, and defeated for the sake of justice in society," he said.
