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‘Assault not just on him…’: Sonia Gandhi on shoe hurled at Chief Justice Gavai in Supreme Court
"Chief Justice Gavai has been very gracious but the nation must stand in solidarity with him unitedly with a deep sense of anguish & outrage,” Cong leader said
Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has condemned incident in the Supreme Court on Monday wherein 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.
The shocking statement comes after 71-year-old lawyer, Rakesh Kishore, allegedly almost hurled a shoe at CJI Gavai during a court proceeding, but was stopped by the security personnel.
Also Read: Lawyer Rakesh Kishore suspended by Bar Council for throwing shoe at CJI in Supreme Court
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, also reacted to the statement, and said that the attack on the chief justice is an assault on the dignity of the judiciary.
“The attack on the Chief Justice of India is an assault on the dignity of our judiciary and the spirit of our Constitution. Such hatred has no place in our nation and must be condemned,” Rahul said in a post on X.
The incident took place on Monday when a bench led by the CJI was hearing the mentioning of cases by lawyers. Following the incident, the Bar Council of India has suspended him from practice for breach of decorum.
The lawyer approached the dais, removed his shoe, and tried to throw it at the chief justice. However, the security personnel immediately intervened and escorted him out of the courthouse, preventing the attack.
A senior official said, "The lawyer is in his 70s and has multiple bar association cards. He said he was upset with the CJI's statement during Khajurao temple hearing. He bought a paper as well in which he wrote "Sanatan dharma ka apmaan nhi sahega Hindustan"."
The lawyer was questioned for around 3 hours and was released thereafter. However, no action has been taken against him as the Supreme Court did not file any charges and asked for the lawyer to be released, according to officials.
When the officials sought CJI's instructions on the future course of action, he said, “Just ignore” and asked that the lawyer be warned and let go, according to people familiar with the matter.
The chief justice urged the lawyers present to carry on with the day’s proceedings. “Don’t get distracted by all this. We are not distracted. These things do not affect me,” he said.
