NEW DELHI, Oct 9: Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai today remarked that he was “very shocked” at the attempted shoe attack on him inside the Supreme Court recently, but said the bench now regarded it as a “forgotten chapter.”
Making his first comment on the episode, CJI Gavai said during court proceedings, “My learned brother and I were very shocked with what happened? for us, it is a forgotten chapter.”
The incident occurred in court No. 1 on October 6, when Advocate Rakesh Kishore allegedly attempted to hurl a shoe at the CJI.
Security personnel swiftly restrained the advocate while the CJI continued with the proceedings, drawing wide admiration for his calm and dignity.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta termed the act “completely unpardonable,” praising the CJI’s “majesty and magnanimity” in the face of provocation. He also cautioned against online misinformation that, he said, “breeds hostility and erodes faith in the judiciary.”
In immediate disciplinary action, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) terminated the temporary membership of Advocate Kishore, describing his act as “reprehensible, disorderly, and intemperate.”
The SCBA’s Executive Committee noted that such conduct was “utterly unbecoming of an officer of the Court” and amounted to a “serious breach of professional ethics and dignity of the Supreme Court of India.”
The Bar Council of India (BCI) also suspended Kishore’s licence to practice law and issued a show cause notice directing him to explain within 15 days why the suspension should not be made permanent. All his court entry passes were deactivated following the suspension.
Several political and legal bodies, including the CPI(M), All India Lawyers’ union (AILU) and All India Bar Association (AIBA), condemned the act, calling it an “attack on the judiciary and the Constitution.”
AIBA Chairman Adish C. Aggarwala urged police to register an FIR against Kishore, terming his conduct “disturbing and unprecedented.”
Following the episode, Delhi Police stated that no FIR could be lodged as the Supreme Court administration had not filed any complaint, though over 700 security personnel continue to be deployed in the court complex daily. Advocate Kishore was released after brief detention.
Meanwhile, activist Suraj Kumar Bauddh has sought the Attorney General’s consent to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against certain individuals, including YouTuber Ajeet Bharti, over online remarks threatening the CJI. (UNI)
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