'What if it had been Asad?' Owaisi hits out at BJP over shoe hurled at CJI Gavai; asks why no case has been filed

NEW DELHI: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday hit out at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a suspended advocate attempted to throw a shoe at Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai inside the Supreme Court. Owaisi accused the government of religious bias and questioned why no case was filed against the accused, Rakesh Kishore.
In a post on X, Owaisi wrote, “Why was no case filed against the person who threw a shoe at India’s second Dalit Chief Justice of India?”



Addressing a gathering, he targeted the BJP and PM Modi, saying, "We Dalit brothers are watching this. People should understand that BJP cannot be your friend, and Modi cannot be on your side. If his name wasn’t Rakesh Kishore, what if it had been Asad? What would the police and BJP people have done—‘Pick him up, connections with the neighboring country, ISI links’? Tell us, Modi ji, isn’t your government responsible for this?"

Referring to the incident, he added, “One person, whose name was Rakesh Kishore, took off his shoe and threw it in front of the chief justice in Court Number One. What was the judge’s name in the court? It was BR Gavai, the second Dalit judge in our country’s highest court, the Supreme Court.”

He went on to question the atmosphere that allowed the act. “We want to ask Modi, we want to ask Mohan Bhagwat, we want to ask Nitish Kumar. Tell us, how did this person get the courage to go into the Chief Justice’s courtroom in the Supreme Court and lift his shoe to throw it at India’s second Dalit Chief Justice of India? Narendra Modi, 11 years of your tenure as Prime Minister have spread this kind of poison. How did he get the courage? Where did Rakesh Kishore get the strength? Why did he write that he will not tolerate the practice of Sanatan Dharma in India?”

The incident took place on Monday in Court Number One, where suspended advocate Rakesh Kishore attempted to hurl a shoe at CJI Gavai. Security personnel restrained him immediately. Kishore later told ANI he “didn’t regret” his actions and linked his protest to remarks made by the CJI while dismissing a plea seeking reconstruction of a Lord Vishnu idol in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh.

He told ANI, “A PIL was filed in the Court of CJI on 16th September. The CJI mocked it and said - go and pray to the idol and tell it to restore its own head...When a matter related to our Sanatan Dharma comes up, SC passes such orders. Don't provide relief to the petitioner, but don't mock him either...I was hurt...I was not inebriated; this was my reaction to his action...I am not fearful. I don't regret what happened.”

As he was being dragged away, Kishore shouted, “Sanatan ka apman nahi sahenge.” The Bar Council of India suspended his licence, and Delhi Police confirmed that no complaint was filed against him. He was released after verification.

The bench led by CJI Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran had dismissed the petition, calling it a “publicity interest litigation” and noting that the matter came under the Archaeological Survey of India’s jurisdiction. The legal fraternity condemned the attack, calling it an assault on the judiciary and demanding action against the lawyer.
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