In a startling incident inside the Supreme Court, an advocate attempted to hurl a shoe at Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai in protest against a remark he had made earlier regarding a plea about reconstructing a Lord Vishnu idol. The advocate, wearing what appeared to be a lawyer’s robe, reportedly shouted slogans such as “Sanatan Dharam ka apmaan nahi sahega Hindustan” (India will not tolerate disrespect to Sanatan Dharma) as he was being escorted out by security. Some observers claimed it was a shoe, while others thought it might have been a rolled-up paper the exact object remains uncertain.

The courtroom proceedings momentarily paused, but soon resumed. Addressing the disruption, Justice Gavai remained composed, saying, “Don’t get distracted by all this. We are not distracted. These things do not affect me.” He emphasized that such episodes would not sway the court’s functioning or his own focus.

This protest stems from a prior hearing involving a petition seeking direction to reconstruct and reinstall a damaged seven-foot idol of Lord Vishnu at the Javari Temple in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. The bench headed by CJI Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran dismissed the plea as a “publicity interest litigation” and declined to intervene, noting that archaeological matters fall under the prerogative of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). In the hearing, the CJI had remarked, “Go and ask the deity himself to do something,” suggesting spiritual devotion rather than litigation as a remedy.

He also quipped that while the petitioner sought to restore Vishnu, they could meanwhile worship the Shiva linga existing at the site, one of the largest in Khajuraho. The courtroom protest underscores intense public sentiment around religious symbolism and judicial remarks, but the Chief Justice’s calm response reaffirms the institution’s effort to maintain decorum despite provocation.