The Indian public has held immense respect for the judiciary since independence. Whenever the two pillars of democracy, the legislature and the executive, show negligence or carelessness in their duties, the judiciary stands up and courageously takes charge of the situation, rectifying any discrepancies. In our democratic system, the judiciary has not only been made independent but also entrusted with the responsibility of upholding the rule of law throughout the country. By doing so, the founding fathers of our Constitution directly established the Supreme Court as the guardian of the Constitution. Therefore, it is not without reason that the oath of office and secrecy is administered to the President of India by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the oath of office to the Chief Justice is administered by the President, as the President is considered the guardian of the Constitution. This classical and unique system established by our Constitution makers has firmly established provisions to ensure that the dignity and prestige of the office of the Chief Justice of the country is completely independent of India’s political governance.
Therefore, we call the judges of the Supreme Court “Justices” and always expect that their decisions will be within the ambit of the Constitution. They are not concerned with which political party rules the country, but rather whether the government of any political party is functioning in accordance with the Constitution. This is because in India, elected representatives, from the Gram Panchayat to the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha, first take an oath to the Constitution before their work, and assume positions ranging from the village head to the Prime Minister. Similarly, all officers of the executive also take an oath to the Constitution. Therefore, it is crucial that we place our judiciary above any kind of doubt and ensure that when the Supreme Court performs its duties, all Hindus and Muslims in India are treated as citizens only. Our Constitution makers declared India a secular nation after much thought and contemplation. The reason for this was that after the creation of Pakistan, a separate country based on religion, the people of India were burdened with the responsibility of preserving the country’s diverse and original culture. This culture was about bringing people of all faiths together.
The majority Hindu society of this country included adherents of various ideologies, from those who worshipped the embodied Brahman to those who worshipped the formless Brahman. This beauty can only be found in India, where atheistic religions flourished. Both Saguna and Nirguna gods were freely worshipped. Furthermore, there were sages like Charaka, who were completely materialistic and used to say, “Debt is for the sake of one’s own good.” Therefore, every religion that came to India’s culture was steeped in the essence of India’s soil. However, last Monday, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice B.R. In the court of Gawai, a lawyer Rakesh Kishore dared to throw a shoe at him, which caused immense grief and pain to every citizen of the country.
This was the first incident in the history of independent India where a Chief Justice was attacked in open court. A similar incident had occurred against a Supreme Court Justice approximately 24 years earlier. However, the Justice was unaffected by this incident and allowed the court proceedings to continue as usual and directed that Rakesh Kishore not be arrested. Mr. Gavai is a Buddhist and respects all religions equally. He is the son of the late Ramakrishna Suryabhan Gavai, once considered the leader of the Republican Party, who embraced Buddhism in 1956 along with Baba Saheb Ambedkar. He was a prominent champion of social justice and Dalit upliftment. Therefore, Mr. Gavai’s family legacy is rich and full of progressive ideas. His comment, that there is no need for it, on a petition regarding the desecration of a statue of Lord Vishnu located in one of the Khajuraho temples is completely legal, as the Khajuraho complex, with the exception of one temple, does not worship any idols or deities installed in them, as they are often broken, and broken idols are not worshipped in Sanatan Dharma. Furthermore, this entire area is under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India and is considered a World Heritage Site. It is clear that Rakesh Kishore, being a lawyer, committed such a heinous act that shames the Constitution solely for the sake of cheap publicity and publicity, which may have political motives. Therefore, it is the duty of the citizens of India to ignore the words of lawyer Rakesh Kishore and maintain peace in society, as this is an attack on the entire judicial system.
