I don't regret', says lawyer who tried to hurl shoe at Chief Justice Gavai
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New Delhi: Advocate Rakesh Kishore, who attempt to hurl a shoe at Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai on Monday during proceedings, said he ‘didn’t regret’ his action.
The suspended advocate told news agency ANI that ‘I am not fearful. I don't regret what happened,’ adding that his action stemmed from CJI’s response while dismissing the plea seeking reconstruction of Lord Vishnu idol in Madhya Pradesh's Khajuraho.
Rakesh Kishore reportedly said: ‘A PIL was filed in the Court of CJI on 16th Sept. The CJI mocked it and said - go and pray to the idol and tell it to restore its own head...When a matter related to our Sanatan Dharma comes up, SC passes such orders. Don't provide relief to the petitioner, but don't mock him either...I was hurt...I was not inebriated; this was my reaction to his action.’
It is reported that Kishore made an attempt to attack CJI Gavai inside the courtroom before security personnel restrained him as he removed his sports shoe in an attempt to hurl at CJI.
As the incident unfolded, Gavai remained calm before asking lawyers to continue with court proceedings without getting ‘distracted’.
Just as he was removed from the courtroom, Kishore was heard shouting ‘Sanatan ka apman nahi sahenge’.
Following the incident, the Bar Council of India suspended his licence. However, Delhi police released Kishore later as there no complaint against him.
The Supreme Court last month dismissed a plea that sought direction to reconstruct and reinstall an idol of Lord Vishnu at the Javari Temple in MP as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Khajuraho temple complex.
A bench headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran dismissed the plea filed by one Rakesh Dalal, with CJI saying ‘This is purely publicity interest litigation... Go and ask the deity himself to do something. If you are saying you are a strong devotee of Lord Vishnu, then you pray and do some meditation’.
Representing the petitioner, the counsel said that ‘the idol's head was dilapidated’ and sought the court’s intervention for its reconstruction.
The court reportedly said ‘It's an archaeological find, whether ASI would permit such a thing to be done or not... there are various issues’.
The Times of India reported CJI as saying that ‘In the meantime, if you are not averse to Shaivism, you can go and worship there... there is a very big linga of Shiva, one of the biggest in Khajuraho’.
The outlet however also added Gavai as clarifying that the he never made the comments attributed to him on social media.