Three hours after questioning a 71-year-old advocate who allegedly threw a shoe at Chief Justice of India B R Gavai Monday morning inside the Supreme Court, the Delhi Police allowed him to go after the apex court’s registrar general refused to press charges against him. The registrar general also asked the Delhi Police to hand over the shoes and documents to the advocate, identified as Rakesh Kishore. “He was questioned by the security unit of Delhi Police and the officials of New Delhi District police after taking approval from the registrar general of the Supreme Court,” a source said. The police said they have recovered a white paper note from Kishore's possession. “Mera sandesh har Sanatani ke liye hai…Sanatan dharma ka apmaan nahi sahega Hindustan,” read the note, according to the police. The police also found he was carrying a card of the Supreme Court Bar Association, the Shahdara Bar Association, and the Bar Council of Delhi. A senior Delhi Police officer stated that Kishore, a resident of the Mayur Vihar area and a registered member of the Supreme Court Bar Association, was apprehended by security personnel and subsequently handed over to the security unit of the Supreme Court. The Delhi Police detained Kishore, who took out his sports shoes and threw them at CJI Gavai at around 11.35 am, during the proceedings in Court No 1. While questioning Kishore, the Delhi Police asked him about his motive for throwing the shoe at CJI Gavai. “The advocate has claimed that he was unhappy with the CJI’s remarks during a recent hearing of a plea seeking the restoration of a Lord Vishnu idol in the Khajuraho Temple complex in Madhya Pradesh,” a source said. CJI Gavai made the comments on September 16 while dismissing the plea seeking the reconstruction of a dilapidated 7 feet tall Lord Vishnu idol at the Javari Temple in Khajuraho Temple complex in Madhya Pradesh. CJI Gavai later said he “respects all religions”, and clarified that his comments were made in the context that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has jurisdiction over the upkeep of the temple. CJI Gavai has Z plus security cover, provided by the Security Division of the Delhi Police.
