Advocate Rakesh Kishore, who tried to throw a shoe on Chief Justice Justice BR Gawai in the Supreme Court, has said in his statement after the incident that he has no regrets on his step. He is adamant on his statement that he took this step in a hurt by a CJI’s comment. The incident has sparked widespread debate not only in the judiciary but also across the country, as this is the first time a lawyer has committed such an act on the Chief Justice during the Supreme Court proceedings.
Rakesh Kishore said that when a PIL was filed during the hearing on 16 September, the Chief Justice commented on it, saying, “Go and pray to Murthy to put your head back.” According to the lawyer, this comment was to hurt his religious sentiments. He said, “I was not drunk, nor do I regret my actions. This was my response, because the Supreme Court often shows insensitive attitude in matters related to Sanatan Dharma.”
He said that the person sitting in the highest position of the judiciary should maintain the dignity of his words. “A person sitting in post like CJI should understand that ‘My Lord’ is not just a formal address, but a symbol of respect and constitutional dignity,” he said. Rakesh Kishore further gave the example of the bulldozer action of the Yogi government and asked, “Is the action to remove encroachments on government land wrong?”
After the incident, the Bar Council has suspended Rakesh Kishore, while the Supreme Court has taken the matter seriously and directed to review the security system. At the same time, people’s opinion has been divided on this incident on social media. Some are describing it as disrespect to the judiciary, while some are connecting it with the debate of judicial accountability.
Rakesh Kishore also reacted to the questions raised about caste. He said, “People say that CJI is a Dalit, but does anyone know my caste? Maybe I am a Dalit. They have changed their faith, now they are Buddhists. So how are they Dalits? It is a matter of thinking.”
At the end of his statement, he said that he did not apologize to anyone nor did he regret his step. “What I did with the inspiration of the above. The judiciary should work on his sensitivity. Rakesh said that millions of cases are pending, but when the common man talks about his faith, he is mocked,”
This incident has given rise to a serious debate over the limits of dignity, religious insensitivity and expression of the judiciary. Questions are also being raised about security and discipline in the court premises.