Editorial: Attack on the idea of India

While leaders cutting across parties condemned the attack on CJI Gavai, the deeper issue — of religious zealotry and mob radicalisation under the veneer of devotion — cannot be ignored

The shocking incident of shoe hurling at Chief Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai in the Supreme Court premises reflects the normalisation of hate in a deeply fractured society. It shows that even the highest constitutional spaces are not free from social prejudices. The attack has left the legal fraternity and the public deeply disturbed. The act, committed by 71-year-old advocate Rakesh Kishore in the name of honouring ‘Santan Dharma’, occurred while the Chief Justice was presiding over a hearing. Justice Gavai, who belongs to the Dalit community, upholds, at least symbolically, the promises of the Constitu