Kharge slams shoe attack on CJI, calls for perpetrator’s ostracism
Bengaluru: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has strongly condemned the incident in which an advocate hurled a shoe at Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai inside the Supreme Court, calling the act an assault on the institution and the rule of law.
According to Kashmir Media Service, speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Kharge said the episode was “condemnable” and urged the advocates’ fraternity to ostracise anyone who holds such a mindset. “If lawyers practising in the Supreme Court hold such an ideology — remove their shoe and throw it at the CJI — they must be shunned by the bar,” he said.
Kharge added that those who invoke religion to justify violence or intolerance should face strict legal action. “People who commit such acts in the name of Manu Smriti or Sanatan Dharma must be punished. Those who deliberately create social tension and disturb peace must be penalised,” he demanded.
Kharge also criticised the broader social climate that, he said, enables such behaviour. He described the ideology invoked by the attacker as one that “for thousands of years kept Indians in bondage” and warned that persistence of such mindsets posed a danger to democratic norms. He praised advocates and organisations that publicly condemned the attack and called for adherence to the Constitution and fundamental rights.
The Congress leader further condemned a mob-lynching reported from Raebareli, where a Valmiki community man was beaten to death after being accused of theft. “Taking the law into their own hands and resorting to lynching is unacceptable,” Kharge said, urging the government to protect vulnerable communities and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.
Kharge appealed for legal and institutional accountability, saying incidents that target the judiciary or vulnerable citizens strike at the heart of democratic society and must be dealt with firmly.
