'Assault on democracy': Leaders from across country condemn attack on CJI Gavai

New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) Cutting across party lines and for the second consecutive day, leaders from west to east and south to north on Tuesday strongly condemned the bid to attack Chief Justice of India B R Gavai during court proceedings, calling it an "assault" on democracy and the Constitution.

In a shocking breach of decorum on Monday, Rakesh Kishore, a 71-year-old lawyer, allegedly tried to hurl a shoe at the CJI during court proceedings, but was stopped by alert security personnel.

Police sources said a note, containing the slogan "Sanatan dharma ka apmaan nahi sahega Hindustan" (India will not tolerate insults to Sanatan Dharma), was found in the lawyer's possession. The Bar Council of India (BCI) has suspended his licence with immediate effect.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Justice Gavai on Monday and said the attack on him has angered every Indian. "There is no place for such reprehensible acts in our society. It is utterly condemnable," Modi said, appreciating the calm displayed by the CJI.

Condemnations were made and protests were held in CJI Gavai's home state of Maharashtra on Tuesday.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar called CJI Gavai the "pride of Maharashtra" and said the lawyer's attempt to attack him is condemnable.

In a statement, Pawar said, "Attacking the judiciary or judges is an assault on the fundamental principles of democracy. There is no place for such incidents in our democracy." The opposition NCP (SP) protested in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra on Tuesday. A similar protest was held by the opposition party in Baramati, led by the party's national working president Supriya Sule.

In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, party MLA Rohit Pawar and activists held placards and shouted slogans, hailing Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Constitution. He said the bid to "attack" CJI Gavai was an attempt to attack the Constitution and democracy.

Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution B L Verma termed the lawyer's act as "reprehensible" and said there are many other ways to express protest.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren condemned the attack and termed the incident as an "assault on the soul of democracy". He also said the attack was "like raising a hand against the nation's Constitution".

In neighbouring Bihar, which goes to polls next month, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav accused the ruling BJP at the Centre of "maintaining silence" over the incident.

Yadav alleged that "the incident is a result of normalisation of hate and violence, which seems to have been receiving state patronage since 2014".

Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar Ram, the party's Dalit face in the state, burst into tears while voicing anguish over the attack. Addressing a press conference, Ram alleged the incident reeks of the RSS's ideology.

"Even after reaching the most respectable constitutional posts with efforts of a lifetime, acceptability eludes Dalits," he said, breaking down.

In the northeast, Manipur Congress president Keisham Meghachandra condemned the attack and demanded a thorough investigation and immediate action against those responsible.

In the south, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy strongly condemned the attack on CJI Gavai in his courtroom during the proceedings.

Naidu described the incident as unacceptable and said such acts have no place in a civilised and democratic society.

Similarly, Reddy termed the incident as deeply disturbing and an affront to the dignity of the highest judicial institution.

In Tamil Nadu, AIADMK general secretary and former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami condemned the attack and said such violence was unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms.

In the north, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) protested in East Delhi's Mayur Vihar. Carrying portraits of Ambedkar, party workers led by AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj and MLA Kuldeep Kumar raised slogans of "Jai Bhim".

The protesters shouted "Halla Bol" and "Chief Justice Ka Apmaan Nahi Sahega Hindustan" to denounce the attacker while Bharadwaj carried a garland of shoes.

In Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar, Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti claimed that the shoe hurled at CJI Gavai portrayed "a chilling image of BJP's Viksit Bharat" as the attacker acted with brazen confidence that he will face no real consequences.

"A shoe hurled at Chief Justice B R Gavai offers a chilling picture of what BJP's Viksit Bharat will look like by 2047. The attacker acted with brazen confidence knowing well that there would be no real consequences for his deplorable act," Mehbooba posted on X.

On Tuesday, CJI Gavai expressed concern over oral remarks made by judges during court proceedings being misrepresented on social media.

The CJI was speaking during a hearing in the court, a day after the lawyer attempted to throw a shoe at him.

Speaking in a lighter vein on Tuesday, CJI Gavai shared an anecdote about having restrained his colleague, Justice K Vinod Chandran, from making certain open observations during a previous hearing of a matter to avoid potential misinterpretation online.

According to police sources, the errant lawyer was unhappy over the CJI's remarks during a hearing last month concerning the restoration of a Vishnu idol in Khajuraho.

A bench headed by the CJI had dismissed the plea seeking directions to reconstruct and reinstall a seven-foot idol of Lord Vishnu at the Javari temple, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Khajuraho temple complex in Madhya Pradesh.

Terming the plea a "publicity interest litigation", the CJI had said, "This is purely publicity interest litigation.... Go and ask the deity himself to do something. If you are saying that you are a strong devotee of Lord Vishnu, then you pray and do some meditation." Taking note of the online criticism of his comments, the CJI later said he respects "all religions". PTI TEAM KSS KSS