C T Ravi's 'Sarvajna' remark on SC judges triggers row

BJP national general secretary CT Ravi courted controversy Thursday after he said Supreme Court judges were not 'sarvajna', a term he slyly used to say they were not all that knowledgeable.

"Oxygen supply is based on directions by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Supreme Court judges are not sarvajnas. Therefore, they do not know how much of oxygen is manufactured and how it should be distributed," he said.

Read | Cow urine to 'fitkari': Myths hitch a ride on second Covid-19 wave

Ravi was responding to a question on the top court's intervention on the issue of supplying oxygen to Karnataka.

After deliberations on oxygen supply, the SC upheld the TAC recommendation on oxygen distribution, Ravi added.

Sarvajna in Sanskrit means all-knowing. Sarvajna is also the name of a revered 16th century philosopher.

Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar accused Ravi of casting aspersions on judges and condemned his statement. "Trying to cast aspersions on judges, when they are upholding the rights of our citizens, is one of the reasons why our country is witnessing such devastation during this pandemic," Shivakumar said in a tweet.

Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) also condemned the remarks.