'A blow to democratic values': Mallikarjun Kharge on lawyer’s shoe attack at CJI Gavai

Kharge said he was deeply saddened that the act had not drawn widespread condemnation across the country.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, on Wednesday, strongly condemned the incident in which a lawyer attempted to hurl a shoe at Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai inside the Supreme Court, calling it a “shameful insult” to the country’s top judge and a blow to democratic values.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Kharge said he was deeply saddened that the act had not drawn widespread condemnation across the country.

“A person claiming to be a lawyer attempted to throw a shoe at the Chief Justice of India while invoking religion. I have condemned it personally and on behalf of the Congress Party. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have also condemned it. Even our late prime minister would have condemned such behaviour,” he remarked.

Kharge called on the Centre to act decisively against the individual responsible, saying that insulting the Chief Justice in the name of religion and ideology was an attack on the fabric of the Constitution.

“Those who violate people’s fundamental rights in the name of Manusmriti and Sanatan Dharma must be educated. People who seek to spread tension in society and disrupt peace must be held accountable,” he further added.

The Congress chief also said it was disappointing that the reaction from legal bodies, governments, political parties, and the public had been muted. “Progressive states, lawyers, and leaders have condemned it, but there should have been a far stronger and collective voice,” he added.

Kharge also denounced the lynching of a man from the Valmiki community in Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli district, saying the incident reflected the “collapse of law and order” under the state government.

The shoe-throwing attempt, which occurred on Monday during a hearing in CJI Gavai’s courtroom, was unprecedented in the Supreme Court’s history and has sparked widespread concern within the legal fraternity.