The All India Lawyers Union (AILU) and the advocates of Mumbai’s Andheri Court organized a protest demonstration at Mumbai’s CJM Court against the attack on the Honorable Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, Shri B.R. Gavai, by an advocate named Rakesh Kishore in the courtroom of the Supreme Court premises. More than 30 advocates were present in this protest demonstration. Advocates such as Adv. Chandrakant Bojgar, Adv. Balwant Patil, Adv. Subhash Gaikwad, Adv. Nanda Singh, Adv. P.M. Chaudhary, Adv. Sultan Sheikh, Adv. Yadav, and others delivered speeches in this protest demonstration.
The All India Lawyers Union (AILU) has strongly condemned the shocking incident of throwing a shoe at India’s Chief Justice (CJI), Justice B.R. Gavai, in the Chief Justice’s chamber (Chamber No. 1) of India’s Supreme Court on October 6, 2025, in the name of “Sanatan Dharma,” and has appealed to lawyers across the country, individuals associated with the judicial sector, and the general public to express their opposition.
On 6th October, shortly after the Constitution Bench began hearing the first case of the day, a 71-year-old senior advocate, Rakesh Kishore, who possessed a card issued to advocates and clerks for entry into the Suprme Court premises, shouted slogans like “India will not tolerate the insult to Sanatan” and threw a shoe towards the bench. Fortunately, the shoe did not reach the bench. India’s Chief Justice Gavai displayed remarkable restraint and said, “I am the last person to be affected by such things. Please continue,” allowing the proceedings to resume without interruption. Security personnel took the advocate into custody, who was later released because the Justice decided not to take immediate action. However, the Bar Council of India has suspended Rakesh Kishore’s license to practice law, citing a serious violation of professional conduct.
AILU believes that this condemnable act is not merely the derangement of an individual, but it must be viewed as part of a planned and malicious campaign by communal elements of the RSS-sponsored right-wing ideology to undermine the independence of the judiciary, the right to judicial review, and the fundamental principles of secularism enshrined in the Indian Constitution. This stems from CJI Gavai’s metaphorical reference to the Hindu deity Vishnu in a legal context during a hearing, which Hindutva forces have begun propagating as a misrepresentation in the form of an insult to Hinduism or Sanatan Dharma. CJI Gavai is being targeted under caste prejudice due to his Dalit background.
The All India-level organization of lawyers, the All India Lawyers Union, has termed this a “clear attack on the Supreme Court and independent judiciary.” The Communist Party of India (Marxist) – CPI(M) has described it as an attack on the Constitution. This is a form of Brahmanical terrorism, and there is a need to protect judicial personalities from such hatred based on caste superiority and religious extremism. However, despite the attack occurring in open court in this incident, no immediate case was registered.
This attack is shocking for the nation’s conscience. The dangerous “Nathuram mentality” for India not only poses a threat to the judiciary but also to the basic structure of our democratic Constitution. It raises serious questions about security in the courtroom, judicial impartiality amid religious and caste tensions, and broader political efforts to weaken secularism through defamation of the role of courts in reviewing religion-related laws. AILU has demanded an immediate, thorough, and impartial investigation into this incident, including swift and strict legal action against the guilty and any instigators or conspirators behind it. The AILU organization is calling upon the entire lawyer community to unite, involve bar associations, and engage citizens in protest movements through their protest demonstrations.
To ensure that such incidents are not repeated and that every lawyer and citizen unites in these efforts to protect their judicial institutions from divisive forces, the organization is planning to organize peaceful protests and rallies in Maharashtra, launch online campaigns, file petitions in the Supreme Court and other judicial places for penalties and systemic reforms against such communal and casteist acts, and hold immediate meetings and gatherings to provide information on the importance of judicial independence and secularism.
Adv. Chandrakant Bojgar (Maharashtra State Secretary)
Adv. Deepak Vishwakarma
Adv. Alan Parera
Adv. O.P. Singh
Adv. Pradeep Salvi
Adv. Vishwas Avghade
Adv. Swarnanshu Shekhar
Adv. Sandhya Patil
Adv. Sanjay Pandey
Adv. Kishor Samant
