AG okays criminal contempt proceedings against lawyer who hurled shoe at CJI Gavai

Justice BR Gavai

Attorney General for India R Venkataramani has given his consent to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against Advocate Rakesh Kishore, who allegedly attempted to throw a shoe at Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai in the Supreme Court last week, Live Law reported.

Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned the matter before a bench led by Justice Surya Kant, the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, seeking an urgent listing for contempt proceedings.

“I have taken the consent of the Attorney General and seek a listing tomorrow,” Singh informed the bench, as quoted by Live Law. Supporting the plea, Mehta said, “Learned AG has given consent. I would also join my learned friend and request your lordship to take up the contempt. It is constitutional integrity which is under question.”

Singh further said he was also seeking a "John Doe" order to restrain social media posts glorifying the incident.

However, the bench, also comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi, questioned whether it was necessary to pursue the matter further, noting that the CJI himself had chosen not to act against the advocate. “Hon’ble CJI has been extremely magnanimous... that shows the institution is not affected by these kinds of incidents,” Justice Kant observed.

Singh argued that the growing traction of the incident on social media was causing damage to the judiciary’s image. The Solicitor General added that while the CJI’s decision not to take action reflected “a gesture of majesty,” the ongoing justification of the act on social media platforms raised concerns about “institutional integrity.”