Supreme Court lawyer seeks A-G’s nod to initiate criminal contempt proceedings over attempted attack on CJI

A Supreme Court lawyer has written to Attorney-General R. Venkataramani seeking consent to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against advocate Rakesh Kishore, who allegedly flung papers at Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai during court proceedings on October 6.

In a letter addressed to the top law officer on Wednesday (October 8, 2025), advocate K.R. Subhash Chandran said the incident had “diminished the majesty” of the Supreme Court and that the alleged contemnor had shown “no remorse” for his actions, thereby aggravating the misconduct.

“There is a clear case of scandalising and lowering of the authority of the Supreme Court by interfering and obstructing the administration of justice,” Mr. Chandran wrote. Describing the act as “the most contemptuous,” he said it “diminishes the majesty and authority of the court and defeats the Constitution of India.”

Mr. Chandran added that the alleged contemnor had continued making “derogatory and most contemptuous remarks” against the Supreme Court and the CJI through media and social media platforms, asserting that he felt “no remorse” for his behaviour.

On October 6, during a mentioning by advocate Shivam Singh for urgent listing, Mr. Kishore threw the offending object towards the Bench. The Chief Justice and Justice K. Vinod Chandran appeared momentarily startled but quickly resumed proceedings, asking Mr. Singh to continue.

Mr. Kishore was escorted out of the courtroom by security personnel while shouting slogans about ‘Sanatan’. He was briefly detained but released after the Supreme Court registry decided not to press charges. The outburst came in the wake of a controversy over the CJI’s recent remarks concerning a Vishnu idol. Following sustained social media outrage, the Chief Justice had clarified in open court that he believed in all faiths and upheld “true secularism.” 

Following the incident, the Bar Council of India (BCI) issued an interim suspension order against Mr. Kishore, who is enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi. Signed by BCI chairperson and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, the order cited violations of the Advocates Act, 1961, and the Bar Council of India Rules on Standards of Professional Conduct and Etiquette, which require advocates to maintain dignity and respect in court. The BCI also noted that Mr. Kishore had removed his sports shoes and “attempted” to hurl them during the hearing.

Mr. Chandran urged the Attorney-General to take note of these facts and grant consent to initiate criminal contempt proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971. Under Section 15 of the Act, read with Rule 3(c) of the Rules to Regulate Proceedings for Contempt of the Supreme Court, 1975, private individuals require the Attorney-General’s prior consent to move such petitions.

Earlier, the founder of Mission Ambedkar had also written to the Attorney-General seeking permission to initiate contempt proceedings against religious orator Aniruddhacharya (Aniruddh Ram Tiwari) and YouTuber Ajeet Bharati, alleging that they had incited the attempted attack on the CJI.