Supreme Court Bar Association terminates membership of advocate who hurled shoe at CJI

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Thursday, 9 October, terminated the temporary membership of Advocate Rakesh Kishore, who on 6 October threw a shoe at Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai during court proceedings, calling the incident “grave misconduct”.

The decision follows the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) move earlier this week to suspend the 71‑year‑old lawyer from the practice of law. The BCI barred Kishore from appearing, pleading or practising before any court, tribunal or authority in India, and issued a show‑cause notice seeking an explanation for his conduct, warning that formal disciplinary proceedings would follow.

In a strongly worded statement, the SCBA described Kishore’s action as “reprehensible, disorderly, and intemperate”, saying it was “utterly unbecoming of an officer of the Court and constitutes a serious breach of professional ethics, decorum, and the dignity of the Supreme Court of India”.

The executive committee concluded that his conduct “amounts to a direct assault on judicial independence, the sanctity of courtroom proceedings, and the long‑standing relationship of mutual respect and trust between the Bar and the Bench”.

“The executive committee, having duly deliberated upon the incident and the gravity of such misconduct, is of the considered view that continuation of Mr Rakesh Kishore as a temporary member of the SCBA would be wholly inconsistent with the dignity and discipline expected of the members of this Association,” the association said, ordering his immediate removal from its rolls.

The SCBA also said it would ask the Supreme Court secretary‑general to cancel the proximity access card issued to Kishore.

Kishore, who reportedly showed no remorse after the incident, told news agency ANI that he had been “instructed by divine powers to act” and expressed “no regret”. He has claimed he was aggrieved by the chief justice’s response to a petition filed on 16 September seeking the restoration of a Lord Vishnu idol at the Khajuraho temple complex.

After being questioned by police for about three hours on Monday, Kishore was released when the court’s registrar‑general declined to press charges.

Speaking after the SCBA action, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge denounced the assault on a senior judge and framed it as an affront to constitutional values.

He said, “We strongly condemn the insult to a high‑ranking judge of the Supreme Court, and if such an ideology exists among the lawyers of the Supreme Court, it is an insult to the Constitution. The ideology that does not consider a human being as human is not in accordance with the Constitution. Those who talk of depriving people of their fundamental rights in the name of Manusmriti should be punished. Those who are trying to spread unnecessary tension in society and disturb the peace should be punished. All the people in this country who hold progressive ideologies... those who move forward with the ideology of democracy, I am grateful to them.”

The twin actions by the SCBA and the BCI underline the legal fraternity’s swift disciplinary response to the breach of courtroom decorum. The BCI has indicated that its preliminary suspension may lead to further sanctions, pending the outcome of its disciplinary proceedings.

The episode has sparked debate across legal and political circles about courtroom security and professional conduct. The Supreme Court registrar‑general’s decision not to press immediate criminal charges drew scrutiny, even as bar authorities moved to strip Kishore of professional privileges and access.