After an attempt was made by a lawyer to throw a shoe on CJI BR Gavai, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday strongly condemned the incident. She called it an attack not only on the individual but on the Constitution itself.
“No words are adequate to condemn the attack on the Honourable Chief Justice of India in the Supreme Court itself. It is an assault not just on him but on our Constitution as well,” Sonia Gandhi said in a statement. She added that the “nation must stand in solidarity” with the Chief Justice “with a deep sense of anguish and outrage”.
PM Narendra Modi took to X and said that he spoke to CJI Gavai about the same. “The attack on him earlier today in the Supreme Court premises has angered every Indian. There is no place for such reprehensible acts in our society. It is utterly condemnable.” PM Modi added, “I appreciated the calm displayed by Justice Gavai in the face of such a situation. It highlights his commitment to values of justice and strengthening the spirit of our Constitution.”
The incident took place inside the Supreme Court, where a 71-year-old lawyer allegedly attempted to hurl a shoe at CJI Gavai during court proceedings. Security personnel intervened and prevented the attack.
Other opposition leaders squarely blamed the BJP and the RSS for what they described as a ‘toxic political climate’ that emboldened a lawyer to take such a step. They alleged that years of divisive rhetoric had normalised disrespect toward institutions and authority.
‘Grave insult to judiciary’
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) president Sharad Pawar also condemned the incident and said it is a “grave insult to the judiciary and the Constitution”.
“The judiciary exists to uphold the values of democracy and the Constitution. An attempt to attack the Chief Justice of India in the highest institution of justice is not merely an assault on the judiciary, but on our democracy itself,” Pawar said.
Expressing concern over what he termed a “growing tendency to undermine constitutional institutions”, Pawar warned that the “poison being spread in the country refuses to respect even the highest constitutional authorities”.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan also called out the atmosphere of hatred being made in the country. “Strongly condemn the attempted attack on Chief Justice BR Gavai in the Supreme Court. This alarming incident is a reflection of the hatred spread by the Sangh Parivar,” he posted on X.
TMC slams BJP IT cell
TMC’s Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sagarika Ghose pointed out to a connection between “online violence” by BJP and “violent acts offline”.
Ghose posted on X, “The BJP and its online IT army have created this culture of dividing citizens, of shrilly demonising and targeting individuals through violent language and nasty hashtags. This online violence is leading to violent acts offline. The foul BJP IT Cell is blurring the line between online and offline attacks.”