CJI Gavai (File photo)
NEW DELHI: The Bar Council of India on Monday suspended advocate Rakesh Kishore from practising in any court with immediate effect, after he allegedly attempted to hurl a shoe at Chief Justice of India B R Gavai during proceedings in the Supreme Court. The incident took place around 11.35 am, when the 71-year-old lawyer, identified as a resident of Mayur Vihar in Delhi, removed his sports shoes and tried to throw them towards the Bench presided over by the CJI.Also read: Lawyer tries to hurl shoe towards CJI in SC; how he reactedIssuing an interim suspension order, BCI chairperson and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra said the lawyer’s conduct was “prima facie inconsistent with the dignity of the court” and violated professional ethics under the Advocates Act, 1961. “On the basis of prima facie material, it appears that at about 11.35 am on 6 October 2025, in Court No. 1 of the Supreme Court of India, you i.e. Advocate Rakesh Kishore, enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi, removed your sports shoes and attempted to hurl them towards the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India during ongoing proceedings, whereupon you were detained by security,” the order stated, as quoted by news agency PTI. The BCI directed that Kishore “is suspended from practice with immediate effect” and “barred from appearing, acting, pleading or practising in any court, tribunal or authority in India”. The Council said disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against him, and a show cause notice will be issued asking him to explain within 15 days why further action should not be taken. The Bar Council of Delhi has been instructed to update Kishore’s status, notify all courts and tribunals, and ensure compliance within two days. “The Registry of the Supreme Court, the Registries of all high courts, and all district courts shall circulate this order to filing and appearance counters and to concerned Bar Associations,” the order said.The CJI, however, remained composed during the disruption, telling the courtroom, “Don’t get distracted by all this. We are not distracted. These things do not affect me.” Kishore was swiftly restrained by security personnel as he shouted, “Sanatan ka apman nahi sahenge” (“We will not tolerate insults to Sanatan Dharma”).Solicitor General Tushar Mehta called the act “unfortunate and condemnable”, describing it as “the result of misinformation in social media” and “an attempt at cheap publicity.” Senior advocate Indira Jaising termed it “an attack on the institution as a whole,” while Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge condemned it as “unprecedented, shameful and abhorrent,” saying the “mindless act shows how hate and fanaticism have engulfed society.”
