Mangaluru: The legal fraternity has expressed outrage after a section of people appeared to justify the recent incident in which advocate Rakesh Kishore hurled a shoe at Chief Justice Gavai in the Supreme Court. Several lawyers have now urged the Karnataka government to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against those supporting the act on social media.
Senior advocate and former government prosecutor Manoraj Rajeev, who heads the Dakshina Kannada District Congress legal cell, said defending such an act amounted to contempt of court. “The incident is an insult to the judiciary, an attack on the Constitution, and an act bordering on terrorism. Anyone glorifying it must be held accountable,” he said.
Rajeev noted that posts justifying Kishore’s actions have surfaced on platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, terming them a dangerous precedent that undermines public faith in the judicial system. He cited provisions under Section 2C and Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act, which allow criminal contempt cases to be filed against those attempting to justify or propagate such acts.
The advocate urged the Chief Minister, Home Minister, and Law Minister to direct officials to trace individuals who supported the attack and submit their details to the Attorney General. He suggested that those identified be made co-accused in the ongoing case against Rakesh Kishore.
Rajeev also said the issue could soon reach the Karnataka High Court, as the matter involves a direct affront to the judiciary. He appealed to the Advocate General to consider initiating legal action at the state level.
“The judiciary must be protected from such assaults—physical or ideological,” he added.