Suspended lawyer Rakesh Kishore, who attempted to hurl a shoe at Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai inside the Supreme Court on Monday, said he was &ldquo;deeply hurt&rdquo; by the CJI&rsquo;s remarks and accused the judiciary of bias against issues related to Sanatan Dharma.
The 71-year-old lawyer, restrained by security during the courtroom incident and later suspended by the Bar Council of India, said his act was not out of anger but emotional pain over what he called &ldquo;repeated judicial interference in Hindu practices.&rdquo;
Kishore maintained he has no regrets. &ldquo;No, the thing is, I was deeply hurt. On September 16th, a PIL was filed in the Chief Justice&rsquo;s court. Justice Gavai completely mocked it. Mockery in the sense that he said, &lsquo;Go pray to the idol, ask the idol to restore its own head,&rsquo;&rdquo; Kishore stated.
He alleged that the judiciary acts differently in cases involving other communities. &ldquo;We see that the same Chief Justice takes big steps when a case comes up against other communities... In Haldwani, railway land is encroached upon by a specific community. When attempts were made to remove the encroachment, the Supreme Court imposed a stay three years ago, which is still in effect today. Similarly, when the Nupur Sharma case came up, the court said, &lsquo;You have spoiled the atmosphere&rsquo;. They do all that. That is perfectly fine,&rdquo; he said.
Kishore further claimed the court often restricts matters related to Hindu traditions. &ldquo;Whenever an issue related to our Sanatan Dharma comes up, whether it is Jallikattu, or determining the height of Dahi Handi, or any small or large issue, this Supreme Court continues to pass some kind of order regarding it. I am very sad that they should not be doing this,&rdquo; he added.
Responding to criticism for targeting the country&rsquo;s top judge, he said, &ldquo;The CJI should think that when he is sitting on such a high constitutional post, he should understand the meaning of 'Milord' and uphold its dignity... You go to Mauritius and say that the country will not run with a bulldozer. I ask the CJI and those opposing me: Is the bulldozer action by Yogi ji against those who encroached on government property wrong?... I am hurt and will continue to be so.&rdquo;
Defending himself, Kishore said he acted alone and had no political or organisational links. &ldquo;Although I am strongly against violence, you must also consider why a non-violent, simple, honest person, who has no case against him till date and doesn&rsquo;t belong to any group, had to do all this? This is certainly something worth thinking about,&rdquo; he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly condemned the attempted attack, calling it unacceptable in a democratic society. Party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the incident &ldquo;has hurt every Indian&rdquo; and praised CJI Gavai&rsquo;s calm response, noting, &ldquo;The way Gavai exhibited patience and restraint is not only appreciable but also signifies his unwavering faith in the constitutional system values.&rdquo;
Leaders from the Opposition, including the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), NCP-SP, Shiv Sena (UBT), and DMK, also denounced the act, calling it &ldquo;an assault on the Constitution&rdquo; and &ldquo;a shocking breach of decorum,&rdquo; reflecting how &ldquo;hate and fanaticism have engulfed society.&rdquo;

CJI Gavai ‘Shoe Attack’: Lawyer Defends His Act

Suspended lawyer Rakesh Kishore alleges bias against Sanatan Dharma, says he’s deeply hurt

CJI Gavai ‘Shoe Attack’: Lawyer Defends His Act

Suspended lawyer Rakesh Kishore alleges bias against Sanatan Dharma, says he’s deeply hurt

October 7, 2025 | 20:00 IST