‘Declared Himself President’: Supreme Court Dismisses Plea after reading ‘bizarre’ claims in open court
The Supreme Court dismissed an application in the SCBA contempt case, observing that its contents suggested mental illness and directing that the filing be kept in a sealed cover
Reading from the contents of the application in open court, the CJI remarked that the applicant had declared himself to be the President of India and had sought directions for certain persons to be held guilty and sentenced to death
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed an application filed by a person in the contempt plea against Advocate Rakesh Kishore initiated by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), observing that the contents of his filing indicated that he appeared to be suffering from a mental ailment.
Notably, on October 6, 2025 incident, Advocate Rakesh Kishore allegedly attempted to hurl a shoe at Chief Justice of India BR Gavai in open court.
The bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing the SCBA’s contempt petition against Kishore in connection with an alleged attempt to hurl a shoe at former Chief Justice of India Justice B R Gavai.
During the hearing, the counsel appearing in the matter informed the Court that draft guidelines had been submitted in line with the suggestions made by the Bench on an earlier occasion.
The CJI responded that the matter would be heard in the presence of the Attorney General for India (AG) and directed that the draft be circulated accordingly. At the request of counsel, the Bench agreed to take up the matter after three weeks.
The Court then took note of an application filed by a person. Reading from the contents of the application in open court, the CJI remarked that the applicant had declared himself to be the President of India and had sought directions for Advocate Rakesh Kishore to be held guilty and sentenced to death.
“He seems to be a person suffering from mental ailment,” the CJI observed, before dismissing the application outright.
In a significant direction, the bench ordered that the contents of the application be placed in a sealed cover by the Registry. The Court further directed that the contents should not be disclosed, noting the nature of the averments made in the filing.
The contempt proceedings arise from an earlier incident involving Kishore, which led the SCBA to move the Supreme Court seeking action.
In December 2025, Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had informed the court that they would jointly submit suggestions to prevent a repeat of the recent shoe-hurling incident.
Earlier, in November 2025, the Bench had said the issue went beyond the individual incident and required a structural response to protect the dignity and safety of court spaces. “We are expecting you (SCBA) to give some suggestions,” Justice Kant had told the association’s representatives. “Just think how to prevent such incidents; whether in the Bar, inside or outside courtrooms. Tomorrow, the bar room or any chamber could also be vulnerable," he had said.
On October 16, SCBA President and Senior Advocate Vikas Singh had mentioned the matter before Justice Kant’s Bench, informing that the Attorney General for India had granted consent to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against the advocate. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also supported the plea.
However, the Bench expressed reservations about whether pursuing contempt action would serve any meaningful purpose. It observed that since CJI Gavai himself had chosen not to take any action, it might be better to allow the controversy to “die a natural death.” “The Chief Justice of India has himself decided not to pursue the issue. Why should we revive it and give it fresh life?” the Bench had remarked, adding that the Court’s time might be better utilised for cases of greater public importance.
Importantly, on October 9, in a rare public statement, Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai had addressed the attempted shoe attack on him in the Supreme Court on Monday, i.e. October 6, describing the incident as a shocking moment but one that the Bench now considers a “forgotten chapter.”
The SCBA had terminated the temporary membership of Advocate Rakesh Kishore. Within hours of the incident, the Bar Council of India (BCI) suspended Kishore’s licence to practice law, calling the act violative of "the Standards of Professional Conduct and Etiquette". The BCI a show cause notice to Kishore requiring him to explain, within 15 days, why the suspension should not continue. All courts and Bar Associations were also notified, and any court-issued identity or access passes held by Kishore had been rendered inoperative.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had condemned the attack, describing it as a consequence of misinformation spread online about the judiciary. He urged restraint and caution against narratives that distort public faith in courts. Political and legal bodies, including the CPI(M) and the All India Lawyers’ Union (AILU), condemned the incident, terming it an “attack on the judiciary and the Constitution.” They demanded for strong action against those promoting hostility towards the courts.
The Delhi Police released Advocate Kishore after brief detention since no formal complaint was filed by the Supreme Court officials. Citing procedural norms, police officials said no FIR could be registered without a complaint from the court’s administration.
Case Title: Supreme Court Bar Association v. Rakesh Kishore
Bench: CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi
Hearing Date: February 5, 2026