A lawyer tried to throw an object at Chief Justice BR Gavai inside the Supreme Court on Monday, reported Bar and Bench.
Quoting lawyers present in the court, Live Law reported that the man, identified as advocate Rakesh Kishore, shouted: “Sanatan Dharam ka apmaan nahi sahega Hindustan (India will not tolerate disrespect towards Sanatan Dharma).”
Sanatana Dharma is a term some use as a synonym for Hinduism.
The incident took place when a bench led by Gavai was hearing the day’s list of cases.
Security personnel intervened and escorted the lawyer out of the courtroom.
After the disruption, Gavai asked lawyers to continue with proceedings.
“Do not get distracted by all this,” he was quoted as saying. “We are not distracted. These things do not affect me.”
Kishore seemed to be responding to a statement made by the chief justice on September 16 while hearing a plea seeking the restoration of a beheaded idol of Hindu deity Vishnu at Madhya Pradesh’s Khajuraho.
While dismissing the plea Gavai had said: “This 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.”
His comments had triggered a row, The Indian Express reported.
Later on Monday, the Bar Council of India suspended Kishore’s license to practice with immediate effect, Live Law reported. The council also initiated disciplinary proceedings against the lawyer.
“On the basis of prima facie material, it appears that at about 11.35 am on 6 October 2025, in Court No. 1 of the Supreme Court of India, you i.e. Advocate Rakesh Kishore…removed your sports shoes and attempted to hurl them towards the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India during ongoing proceedings, whereupon you were detained by security,” Live Law quoted the suspension order as saying.
The order said that this conduct was inconsistent with the rules and the dignity of the court.
It added that a show-cause notice would be issued to Kishore, asking the advocate to explain within 15 days why the suspension should not continue, according to Live Law.
#BREAKING| BCI suspends practice of Advocate Rakesh Kishore, who attempted to attack CJI BR Gavai today
The Council has also initiated disciplinary proceedings against Kishore #SupremeCourt #cjibrgavai pic.twitter.com/Pv4lvPYTaV
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) October 6, 2025 ‘Unprecedented, shameful’: Congress
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday described the attempt to attack the chief justice as “unprecedented, shameful and abhorrent”.
“It is an attack on the dignity of our judiciary and the rule of law,” Kharge said on social media. “When a sitting chief justice who rose to the nation’s highest judicial office through merit, integrity, and perseverance – is targeted in such a manner, it sends a deeply disturbing message.”
He added that the attack reflected an “attempt to intimidate and humiliate a man who has broken social barriers” to uphold the Constitution.
“Such mindless act shows how hate, fanaticism and bigotry has engulfed our society in the past decade,” the Congress chief said. “On behalf of the Indian National Congress, I condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms.”
Kharge said that the safety and security of the judiciary was paramount. “Let justice and reason prevail, not intimidation,” he added.
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