Attack on CJI draws all-round censure; Modi says it ‘angered every Indian’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (October 6) spoke to Chief Justice of India BR Gavai to convey his condemnation of a lawyer’s attempt to hurl a shoe at him, and said the attack has angered every Indian.

“There is no place for such reprehensible acts in our society,” he said, praising Gavai for maintaining calm following the incident.

Modi posted on X, “Spoke to Chief Justice of India, Justice B R 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.”

He added, “I appreciated the calm displayed by Justice Gavai in the face of such a situation. It highlights his commitment to values of justice and strengthening the spirit of our Constitution.”

Also read: No case filed, shoe returned: Cops on lawyer who targeted CJI Gavai, says report

Security breach

In a shocking security breach, a 71-year-old lawyer, identified as Rakesh Kishore, attempted to hurl a shoe towards CJI Gavai in his courtroom in the Supreme Court on Monday, prompting the Bar Council of India to suspend his licence with immediate effect.

Police sources told news agency PTI that a note, containing the slogan “Sanatan dharma ka apmaan nahi sahega Hindustan” (India will not tolerate insults to Sanatan Dharma), was recovered from his possession.

“We also found that he was carrying a card of the Supreme Court Bar Association, and the Shahdara Bar Association. While questioning Kishore, the team asked him about his motive for his act. The advocate has claimed that he was unhappy with the CJI’s remarks during a recent hearing of a plea seeking the restoration of a Lord Vishnu idol in the Khajuraho Temple complex in Madhya Pradesh,” unnamed sources told PTI.

A Bench headed by the CJI had dismissed the plea seeking directions to reconstruct and reinstall a seven-foot idol of Lord Vishnu at the Javari temple, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Khajuraho temple complex in Madhya Pradesh.

Terming the plea a “publicity interest litigation”, the CJI had said, “Go and ask the deity himself to do something. If you are saying that you are a strong devotee of Lord Vishnu, then you pray and do some meditation.” Taking note of the online criticism of his comments, the CJI later said he respects “all religions”.

Also read: Man tries to hurl ‘shoe’ at CJI BR Gavai in Supreme Court

CJI unfazed

The CJI, who remained unfazed during and after the unprecedented incident during the court proceedings, asked the court officials and the security personnel present inside the courtroom to just ignore it and to let off the errant lawyer with a warning.

“Don't get distracted by all this. We are not distracted. These things do not affect me,” the CJI, who was sitting on the Bench with Justice K Vinod Chandran, told lawyers and continued hearing the mentioning of cases.

However, the Bar Council of India (BCI) swung into action and swiftly ordered immediate suspension of Rakesh Kishore. Issuing the interim suspension order, BCI chairperson and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra said the advocate’s act was “prima facie inconsistent with the dignity of the court” and in clear violation of the professional conduct rules prescribed under the Advocates Act, 1961 and Bar Council of India Rules.

“On the basis of prima facie material, it appears that at about 11.35 am on 6 October 2025, in Court No. 1 of the Supreme Court of India, you i.e. Advocate Rakesh Kishore, enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi vide enrolment nos..., removed your sports shoes and attempted to hurl them towards the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India during ongoing proceedings, whereupon you were detained by security,” the BCI said.

Also read: CJI Gavai on Vishnu idol controversy: 'I respect all religions'

Lawyers strongly condemn incident

Bar bodies, SCBA and SCAORA, and lawyers including Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and political parties strongly condemned the incident as “an attack on the Constitution and the institution as a whole”.

Kishore, a resident of Delhi’s Mayur Vihar, was questioned for three hours by Delhi Police officials inside the apex court premises and was later allowed to go at 2 pm as no formal complaint was lodged. Police also returned his shoes to him.

According to lawyers, the incident occurred when the CJI-led bench was hearing the mentioning of cases by lawyers. Kishore approached the dais on a raised platform, removed his shoe and tried to hurl it at the judges. Alert security personnel present inside the courtroom immediately intervened and foiled an apparent attack.

The lawyer was swiftly escorted out of the court premises. As he was being taken away, the lawyer was heard shouting, “Sanatan ka apman nahi sahenge” (will not tolerate insults to Sanatan Dharma).

Opposition furious

Leaders of opposition parties condemned an attack on CJI Gavai and said it was an assault on the Constitution and it showed how hate and fanaticism have engulfed society. The Congress, CPI, CPI(M), NCP-SP, Shiv Sena (UBT), DMK, TMC, and other parties were unanimous in condemning the attack on the CJI.

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, in a statement, said it was not just an attack on the CJI but on the Constitution.

“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,” she said.

In a post on X, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the attack was an assault on the dignity of the judiciary and the spirit of the Constitution. “Such hatred has no place in our nation and must be condemned,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.

Also read: CJI BR Gavai: Judicial activism should never become 'judicial terrorism or adventurism'

‘Unprecedented, shameful and abhorrent’

“An attempt to attack the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India in the Supreme Court today is unprecedented, shameful and abhorrent. It is an attack on the dignity of our Judiciary and the rule of law,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta described the act as “unfortunate and condemnable”, calling it a result of misinformation and an attempt at cheap publicity.

“Today’s incident in the Chief Justice’s court is unfortunate and deserves condemnation. This is the result of misinformation in social media. It is really heartening that the Chief Justice of India reacted with magnanimity.... I only hope that this magnanimity is not treated by others as the weakness of the institution,” the top law officer said.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising termed the episode “an attack on the institution as a whole”.

“I am not an eyewitness to the incident. What I know, I know from what the press has reported. It calls for investigation. I consider it to be an attack on the institution as a whole, not just the chief justice,” she said.

Also read: Ex-CJI DY Chandrachud’s debut book talks about the relevance of the Constitution

Stalin, Pinarayi condemn attack

Condemning the attack, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said this “shameful act” deserves the strongest condemnation. “The reason revealed by the attacker for his act shows how deeply the oppressive and hierarchical mindset still lingers in our society,” he said in a post on X.

“We must nurture a culture that respects and protects our institutions and demonstrates maturity in our conduct,” Stalin added.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan too condemned the act, describing it as a “reflection of the hatred” spread by the Sangh Parivar.

Terming the incident “alarming”, Pinarayi said dismissing it as an individual act would be ignoring the growing climate of intolerance.

“This alarming incident is a reflection of the hatred spread by the Sangh Parivar,” the CPI(M) leader said in a post on X.

“...When communal fanaticism dares to target even the chief justice of India, it exposes the grave danger of this divisive and venomous politics that must be confronted without hesitation,” he added.

Also read: SC regains full strength; CJI swears in Justice Vipul Pancholi, Alok Aradhe

Most outrageous, says Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the attack and described it as an assault on the Constitution.

“I condemn the attack on Chief Justice of India Justice BR Gavai ji in the SC premises. This has been a most outrageous thing and effectively an assault on the Constitution of India. I personally respect Justice Gavai and send him my regards from flood-hit North Bengal where I am camping now,” she said on X.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also condemned the attack, saying such anti-social acts have no place in a democratic society governed by the Constitution.

“The attack is extremely condemnable. We all strongly condemn it in the severest terms. The Indian Constitution provides absolutely no shelter for such anti-social acts,” Fadnavis posted on X.

‘Grave insult to Constitution, country’

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar said the incident was not just an assault on the judiciary, but a grave insult to the Constitution and the country.

Expressing concern over a growing tendency to undermine constitutional institutions, the Rajya Sabha MP said, “The poison being spread in our country now refuses to respect even the highest constitutional institutions. This is a warning bell for the nation.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said the unprovoked attack on the CJI was condemnable and shameful. “It totally goes against the principles that our Constitution stands upon. Differences and disagreements cannot and should not lead to violence. Hope the lawyer responsible for this reprehensible act is actioned upon and his licence revoked,” she said.

Also read: Indian legal system facing unique challenges, badly needs fixing: CJI Gavai

Left demands immediate action against lawyer

Condemning the incident, Left parties demanded immediate action against the lawyer who tried to hurl a shoe at the CJI.

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”.

“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.

“This incident is yet another example of the Manuvadi and communal venom injected into society by Hindutva communal forces,” it said.

CPI general secretary D Raja called the incident a direct assault on the judiciary. “This is a direct assault on the dignity of the judiciary,” he said in a post on X.

“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 added.

Result of normalisation of hate: Tejashwi

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav condemned the “arrogance and insult” reflected in the Supreme Court shoe-throwing incident, describing the act as the product of ego-driven, domineering people whose contempt targets both the highest judicial authority and the most vulnerable sections of the society.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that “the incident is a result of normalisation of hate and violence, which seems to have been receiving state patronage since 2014”.

The RJD leader said, “It is a matter of grave concern that a person holding the highest post in the state's judiciary had to face such a humiliation... it marks a shameful episode in the history of our democracy.”

He also claimed that some people were using religion to spew venom. “The shoe was hurled not at the CJI, but at revered Babasaheb Ambedkar. Some people are using religion to spew venom. Nobody seems safe anymore…. The judiciary is the backbone of our democracy. To protect it is the duty of all of us.”

Also read: CJI Gavai objects to advocate addressing Justice Yashwant Varma informally

Bar association slams lawyer

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) expressed its “profound shock, outrage, and unequivocal condemnation” over what it termed a “reprehensible act” committed by an advocate inside CJI’s courtroom.

In a strongly worded resolution passed unanimously, the SCBA described the advocate’s conduct as “utterly unbecoming of an officer of the Court” and said it “strikes at the very foundation of mutual respect that underpins the relationship between the Bench and the Bar.”

The Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) described the incident as a “disrespectful and intemperate gesture” by an advocate.

(With agency inputs)