'Forgotten chapter': CJI B R Gavai breaks silence on attempted shoe attack in Supreme Court

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Thursday said he and Justice K Vinod Chandran were shocked when an advocate attempted to hurl a shoe at him on October 6 during court proceedings, but added that it is now “a forgotten chapter.”

The CJI broke his silence over the incident in which advocate Rakesh Kishore allegedly attempted to hurl a shoe in the courtroom.

He made the remark while hearing a batch of petitions seeking review and modification of the Vanashakti verdict, which prohibits the Centre from granting retrospective or ex-post facto environmental clearances to projects that violate environmental norms.

On the attack, the CJI said, “My learned brother (Justice Chandran) and I were very shocked with what happened on Monday. For us, it is a forgotten chapter.”

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta described the act as “unpardonable” and praised the CJI for his “magnanimity and composure.”

Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, who was also on the bench, expressed his disagreement over the lenient approach towards the errant lawyer. “I have my own views on this. He is the CJI — it is not a matter of joke,” he said. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, present in court, asked fellow senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan to proceed with main matter and avoid further discussion of the episode. The CJI then resumed the hearing, reiterating, “For us, it is a forgotten chapter.”

In a separate development, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Thursday terminated with immediate effect the membership of lawyer Rakesh Kishore.

The SCBA said Kishore’s “reprehensible, disorderly and intemperate behaviour” constituted “a direct assault on judicial independence” and “a serious breach of professional ethics, decorum and the dignity of the Supreme Court.”

“The executive committee finds that the said conduct amounts to a direct assault on judicial independence, the sanctity of courtroom proceedings, and the longstanding relationship of mutual respect and trust between the Bar and the Bench,” the SCBA said in a resolution.