Delhi High Court Condemns Shoe-Hurling at CJI Gavai, Says It Has Hurt Everyone

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday strongly denounced the recent incident in which advocate Rakesh Kishore attempted to hurl a shoe at Chief Justice of India B.R Gavai inside the Supreme Court.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela observed,“ It has hurt not only members of the Bar but everyone. It is not a question of an individual. Such an incident should not only be deprecated but appropriate measures need to be taken.”

The bench was hearing a plea filed by advocate Tejasvi Mohan, who sought directions to the Centre and various authorities to ensure the removal of online content glorifying the act.

Mohan had urged the court to issue a writ of mandamus directing the Union of India, through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, as well as social media intermediaries including Google (YouTube), Meta (Instagram), and X Corp (Twitter), to immediately take down defamatory videos and posts celebrating the incident.

The plea also called for framing a standard protocol to prevent the spread of such content in the future. It stated that the “continued and large-scale online circulation of videos and posts glorifying or trivialising an act of aggression against the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India has far-reaching implications for the independence of the judiciary, public confidence in the courts, and the administration of justice across the country.”

During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Centre, submitted that while the petition was maintainable before the Delhi High Court, the matter would be more appropriately heard by the Supreme Court, as a bench led by Justice Surya Kant is already considering a plea filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) seeking contempt proceedings against Rakesh Kishore.

Taking note of the submissions, the High Court observed that while it had no objection to issuing directions, it would be more suitable for the petitioner to intervene in the ongoing proceedings before the Supreme Court. The bench added that it would consider issuing directions if the apex court declined to permit such intervention.

Following the court’s suggestion, Mohan agreed to approach the Supreme Court.

The incident took place on October 6, when advocate Rakesh Kishore attempted to throw a shoe at Chief Justice Gavai inside Court Hall No. 1 during a hearing. The Chief Justice remained composed and continued the proceedings even as security personnel restrained the advocate, an act that drew widespread condemnation from the legal fraternity across the country.

Case Title: Tejasvi Mohan v. UOI & Ors

Bench: Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela

Hearing Date: 12 November 2025