Mangaluru: The legal fraternity in Karnataka 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. Lawyers have now urged the state 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 amounts 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 highlighted that posts justifying Kishore’s actions have surfaced on platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, calling them a dangerous precedent that undermines public faith in the judicial system. Citing Section 2C and Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act, he noted that criminal contempt cases can be filed against those attempting to justify or propagate such acts.
He 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. Those identified, he suggested, should be made co-accused in the ongoing case against Kishore.
Rajeev added that the matter could soon reach the Karnataka High Court, as it 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 said.
