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Outrage over CJI Gavai's 'mocking' remarks on Lord Vishnu Idol plea

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Shailesh Khanduri
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CJI BR Gavai in Maharashtra Assembly

Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai speaks during a ceremony held in his honour by the Maharashtra legislature, at Vidhan Bhavan, in Mumbai, Tuesday, July 8, 2025.

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai's allegedly sarcastic comment during a Supreme Court hearing on the restoration of a beheaded Lord Vishnu idol at Khajuraho's Javari Temple has sparked widespread condemnation. 

The CJI dismissed the plea by telling the petitioner, a devotee, to "go and ask the deity itself to do something now... so go and pray," citing the site's protection under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). 

While the court viewed the matter as non-justiciable, netizens have decried the remark as insensitive, biased, and blasphemous, accusing the judiciary of selectively mocking Hindu faith.

The plea, filed by Rakesh Dalal, sought to revive the sanctity of the 10th-11th century Chandela-era temple, part of UNESCO's Khajuraho Group of Monuments, where the seven-foot idol is said to have been damaged during historical invasions. 

However, the focus online has shifted overwhelmingly to the CJI's wording, with users arguing it trivialises religious sentiments and reveals a deeper anti-Hindu bias in the judiciary.

NewsDrum is listing down a few sober public reactions on commentator Anand Ranganathan's X post:

CJI Chief Justice of India Supreme Court Justice B R Gavai B R Gavai