Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: PTI

All India Congress Committee chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday strongly condemned the incident in which a sheaf of papers was flung at Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai on Monday.

‘Sahameful insult’

Mr. Kharge called the incident a “shameful insult” to the country’s top judge and a blow to democratic values.

Speaking to reporters here, Mr. Kharge said he was deeply pained that the act had not drawn widespread condemnation across the nation.

“A person claiming to be a lawyer attempts to throw papers at the CJI while invoking religion. I have sternly condemned it personally and on behalf of the Congress,” he said.

The Congress president urged the Centre to act firmly against the individual responsible, saying that insulting the CJI in the name of religion and ideology was an attack on the fabric of the Constitution. He also expressed his disappointment that the reaction from legal bodies, governments, political parties, and the public had been muted.

The AICC chief also condemned the lynching of a man from the Valmiki community in Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli district and termed the incident a “collapse of law and order” under the State government.

KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar called it a “display of adharma” in the court of law. Speaking to reporters at his Sadashivanagar residence, he said: “The Chief Justice of India has sought no action against the culprit, but a suo motu case must be registered and strong action must be taken.”

Petition to PM

Meanwhile, MLC Ramesh Babu has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking strict action against he attacker. He said that the attack “made in the name of Sanatana Dharma, is not merely a personal outburst but a direct affront to the independence of the judiciary, which forms the backbone of our Constitutional democracy.”

Mr. Babu urged for a judicial inquiry headed by a sitting or retired Supreme Court judge to investigate “the motives, links, and intent behind the attack.”

He further said: “Direct the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Delhi police to initiate immediate arrest and prosecution of the said Sanatani advocate under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) along with Contempt of Courts Act.”

In Bengaluru, a group of ex servicemen protest in front of the Karnataka High Court, condemning the attack on the CJI.

Published – October 08, 2025 07:43 pm IST