Bengaluru cybercrime police book five for derogatory posts on Chief Justice B R Gavai

The Bengaluru cybercrime police have filed charges against five individuals for allegedly posting offensive content about Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai. This action follows an incident in the Supreme Court where a Delhi-based lawyer attempted to throw a shoe at Justice Gavai during a hearing.

Also read: Lawyer attempts to attack CJI BR Gavai in Supreme Court; Court unfazed amid chaos

The accused—Kesari Nandan, Sridharkumar, Nagendra Prasad, Ramesh Naik, and Manunath M C Manju—are charged under Section 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for intentional insult intended to provoke a breach of peace. The charges were brought after the police's social media monitoring cell discovered derogatory posts on Facebook, including one that advocated violence and made personal attacks on the CJI.

Justice Gavai opted not to press charges

The case follows a related incident on October 6, when advocate Rakesh Kishore tried to throw footwear at Justice Gavai in the Supreme Court. Kishore, who was briefly detained, expressed dissatisfaction with Justice Gavai's remarks regarding the restoration of a Lord Vishnu idol at a temple in Madhya Pradesh. However, Justice Gavai opted not to press charges after the court's registrar-general intervened.

In response, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan condemned the act, stressing that such behavior was an affront to the institution of the judiciary. The Bar Council of India has suspended Kishore's practice, and the incident remains under investigation.