Kamaltai Gavai, 84, the mother of Chief Justice of India(BHARAT) Bhushan R. Gavai, has strongly condemned the recent incident in the Supreme Court where a lawyer threw a shoe during proceedings. She called it “an attack on the Constitution” and said such behaviour was meant to spread “chaos in the country.” This is her first public statement since the incident. “Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar gave the country an all-inclusive and people centric Constitution. ‘Live and let live’ is the core of our Constitution. No one in this country has the right to take the law into their own hands and create anarchy. I request that people resolve their issues peacefully and through constitutional means,” she said in a video.

The incident took place on Monday during case mentions before a bench led by Chief Justice Gavai. A lawyer, later identified as Rakesh Kishore, suddenly threw an object toward the judges. Security staff quickly stepped in and took him out of the courtroom. While being escorted out, he shouted, “Sanatan ka apman nahi sahenge” (“We will not tolerate any insult to Sanatan”), referring to comments made during the hearing of the Khajuraho Vishnu idol case.

Known affectionately as Kamaltai, she is the wife of the late Ramkrishna Suryabhan Gavai, a respected politician and former Governor of Bihar. A lifelong social worker, Dr. Kamal Gavai, along with her daughter Kirti Gavai Arjun, condemned the incident and urged people to stay true to the values of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who built India(BHARAT)’s Constitution.

Calling for calm and respect, she added, “This is not just a personal attack but part of a poisonous ideology that must be checked before it spreads. Such incidents insult our Constitution and disgrace our nation. Anyone acting against the Constitution must face strict punishment.”

Reaffirming her faith in Dr. Ambedkar’s teachings, Kamaltai said, “Babasaheb Ambedkar gave us a Constitution that teaches equality and peaceful coexistence. No one should create unrest in society. Problems must be solved through dialogue and legal ways, not through anger or violence.”

Her daughter Kirti Arjun said the incident was “disgraceful.” “Justice Gavai has said he has ignored it — that shows his greatness and magnanimity. However, we must not ignore this. One has every right to protest, but only within the framework of the Constitution,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Amravati District Lawyers Association held a protest on Tuesday to condemn the incident in the Supreme Court. Hundreds of lawyers gathered outside the district collector’s office and demanded strict punishment for the accused.

Association president Advocate Sunil Deshmukh, secretary Advocate Amol Mural, and senior lawyer Advocate Prashant Deshpande described the act as “an insult to the judiciary and a serious attack on the rule of law.”

Attacker says acted on God’s will

Supreme Court lawyer Rakesh Kishore, who allegedly tried to throw a shoe at CJI Gavai during court proceedings on Monday, has claimed that he acted under “divine direction.” Speaking a day after the incident, the 71-year-old lawyer said, “It was the Almighty’s will. I didn’t plan anything or intend to do such a thing. I was only a witness, whatever happened, happened.”

Kishore further claimed that his actions carried “a hidden message,” referring to comments made by the CJI during a hearing on September 16. “During the Supreme Court hearing of a PIL on September 16, Chief Justice Gavai made fun of Sanatan Dharma by mocking the idol. I don’t know who filed that PIL or who the petitioner was, but at that time he joked about the idol,” Kishore told news agency IANS.