‘Not only an assault on judiciary, but grave insult to India’: Sharad Pawar on CJI row

Mumbai:  NCP SP president Sharad Pawar on Monday strongly condemned the incident of shoe throwing at the Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, asserting that it is not merely an assault on the judiciary, but a grave insult to democracy, the Constitution, and India itself.

“The poison being spread in our country now refuses to respect even the highest constitutional institutions. This is a warning bell for the nation. I strongly condemn this incident and assure that I will remain committed to ensuring that the pillars of Indian democracy are never weakened under any circumstances,” the senior Pawar wrote on X.

He further stated that the judiciary exists to uphold the values of democracy and the Constitution, ensuring that debates and disagreements lead to fair and just conclusions.

“An attempt to attack the Chief Justice in the highest institution of justice is not merely an assault on the judiciary, but a grave insult to our democracy, our Constitution, and our nation itself,” he said.

Pawar was reacting after a lawyer tried to throw a shoe at the Chief Justice this morning. The shoe did not reach the bench, and the man was immediately taken into custody.

Unfazed by the shocking development in the courtroom, Chief Justice Gavai said, “I am the last person to be affected by such things,” and continued the hearing.

A veteran jurist, Indira Jaising, in a post on X, said the incident must be thoroughly investigated.

“The lawyer must be named, and legal action taken against him. This appears to be a blatant casteist attack on the Supreme Court of India. It deserves to be condemned by all judges of the Supreme Court by a united press statement that ideological attacks will not be tolerated by the court. Befitting the court’s dignity, the CJI Gavai went about judicial work with no visible disturbance,” she added.

–IANS