The lawyer who attempted to attack Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai cited the recent Khajuraho Temple judgment, saying, “Almighty was asking me every night how I could rest after such an insult.” The shocking confession stunned the nation.
Chief Justice of India BR Gavai the target of an attack at the Supreme Court when a lawyer attempted to throw a shoe at him.
This incident generated significant outrage nationwide, and the assailant, identified as 72-year-old Rakesh Kishore, was subsequently handed over to the Delhi Police.
During police interrogation, Kishore showed no signs of remorse and referenced a recent Supreme Court ruling to justify his actions.
A plea had been submitted to the Supreme Court requesting the reconstruction and reinstallation of an idol at the Javari Temple, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Khajuraho temple complex.
The bench, led by CJI Gavai, declined to hear the case, stating that it fell under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India, and advised the petitioner to “ask the deity to do something.”
Kishore claimed that he “couldn’t sleep after that judgment and felt that the almighty was asking me every night how I could rest after such an insult.”
Kishore stood firm in his actions, insisting that he had no political affiliations and expressed his willingness to face imprisonment.
He remarked,
“It would have been better if I was in jail. My family is very unhappy with what I did. They are unable to understand.”
According to news agency ANI, he shouted
“Sanatan ka apman nahi sahega Hindustan (India won’t tolerate the insult of sanatan)”
Speaking to news agency ANI, Kishore said,
“The CJI should think that when he is sitting on such a high constitutional post, he should understand the meaning of ‘Milord’ and uphold its dignity. You go to Mauritius and say that the country will not run with a bulldozer. I ask the CJI and those opposing me: Is the bulldozer action by Yogi (Adityanath) ji against those who encroached on government property wrong? I am hurt and will continue to be so.”
SCBA joint secretary Meenesh Dubey, who spoke with Kishore post-incident, noted that the attacker displayed no guilt regarding his actions.
In the courtroom, Kishore defended his actions by stating it was a response to what he perceived as a “mockery” of a public interest litigation (PIL) submitted on September 16.
Kishore expressed,
“I was deeply hurt. On September 16, a PIL was filed by an individual in the chief justice’s court. Justice Gavai completely mocked it. Mockery in the sense that he said, ‘Go pray to the idol, ask the idol to restore its own head’,”
He claimed that the judiciary behaves differently in cases involving various communities.
He stated,
“We see that the same chief justice takes big steps when a case comes up against other communities… Let me give an example: In Haldwani, railway land is encroached upon by a specific community. When attempts were made to remove the encroachment, the Supreme Court imposed a stay three years ago, which is still in effect today. Similarly, when the Nupur Sharma case came up, the court said, ‘You have spoiled the atmosphere’. They do all that. That is perfectly fine,”
Kishore expressed his disappointment with the Supreme Court’s handling of matters related to Sanatan Dharma, mentioning instances like Jallikattu and Dahi Handi.
He said,
“Whenever an issue related to our Sanatan Dharma comes up, this Supreme Court continues to pass some kind of order regarding it. I am very sad that they should not be doing this,”
The lawyer asserted that his actions were not impulsive or influenced by substances, but rather stemmed from “emotional distress.”
Kishore stated,
“It’s not like I was drunk, or I had taken any pills, and then came and did something. Nothing like that happened. They took action. It was my reaction,”
He explained, emphasizing that he does not feel fear or regret about the incident,
“Although I am strongly against violence, you must also consider why a non-violent, simple, honest person, who has no case against him till date and doesn’t belong to any group, had to do all this? This is certainly something worth thinking about. The whole country should reflect on what happened,”
Identifying himself as Dr. Rakesh Kishore, he challenged others to determine his caste, suggesting,
“Maybe I am a Dalit too.”
He criticized the perception of CJI Gavai’s identity, arguing,
“It is one-sided that you are taking advantage of the fact that he (CJI Gavai) is a Dalit. He is not a Dalit. He was a Sanatani Hindu first. He then renounced his faith and followed Buddhism. If he feels that he has come out of Hinduism after following Buddhism, how is he still a Dalit? This is about mindset.”
Speaking to a media house, Kishore stated that he is “ready to face jail.”
He emphasized that he is not associated with any political party. Kishore also revealed that his family is deeply upset with his actions.
He said, as quoted by the media house,
“It would have been better if I was in jail. My family is very unhappy with what I did. They are unable to understand,”
It is reported that Kishore’s attack on the CJI was linked to his objection over the “Lord Vishnu” remarks made by CJI Gavai during the hearing of a plea last month.
Kishore added that he was unable to sleep properly following those remarks.
In addition to the remarks about Lord Vishnu’s idol, Kishore expressed frustration with CJI Gavai’s recent speech in Mauritius, where Gavai asserted that,
“India’s legal system operates under the rule of law, not under the rule of bulldozer.”
During the inaugural Sir Maurice Rault Memorial Lecture 2025 in Mauritius. He added,
“Just because something is legalized, it does not mean it is just,”
The incident occurred around 11:35 am during proceedings in Court No. 1 at the Supreme Court. Rakesh Kishore, who attempted to throw his shoe at the Chief Justice, was quickly removed from the courtroom.
Police later confirmed that he had valid access to the courtroom, including a Bar Council of India card and a temporary Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) membership.
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