Punjab Police have registered multiple FIRs under anti-discrimination laws after social media posts with casteist undertones glorified an attempt to throw a shoe at Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, India’s first Buddhist and second Dalit to hold that position.
The cases follow the October 6 incident when advocate Rakesh Kishore attempted to hurl a shoe at Gavai during a Supreme Court hearing. The Bar Council suspended Kishore, calling the act “inconsistent with the dignity” of the profession.
But online, the incident has been recast as heroism. A widely shared video shows a man painted blue with an earthen pot hanging from his neck—symbols associated with casteist mockery—being struck with a shoe. The clip, staged to look like parody, carries the caption: “The Supreme Court’s oppression had exceeded the limit, from releasing rapists to toying with the sentiments of Hindus. Then Rakesh Kishor came and gave the answer.”
The post has garnered thousands of likes and shares.
Most of the comments supported the narrative. Some, though, tagged the police, calling for action against the casteist content and what they described as an “insult” to the Chief Justice.
The Judgment Behind the Incident
The attack followed a ruling in which Gavai’s bench dismissed a plea to restore a damaged idol at the Javari Temple in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. Gavai remarked that the matter fell under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India, adding, “If you are such a strong devotee of Lord Vishnu, go and ask the deity himself to do something.”
Kishore told reporters he felt "hurt" by the comment and acted in response to what he termed an "insult against religion." He said he had “no regrets”.
His defiance has since been amplified by fringe accounts and prominent right-wing handles, portraying him as a martyr punished for “defending Hindu dignity”.
The Ecosystem Of Amplification
Kishore’s interview, in which he says he has “no regrets,” is repeatedly circulated as proof of principled courage rather than violence.
The problematic parody video, which continues to gain traction on X, was first shared by the account “Kikki Singh”. The bio on the account describes them as an “Author, Sanatani Lover, Journalist,” and who has nearly 30,000 followers. The account frequently posts content emphasising Hindu unity, caste narratives, and communal themes, blending cultural commentary with political undertones.
In one of the later posts, Singh contrasted Nupur Sharma and Kanhaiya Lal, pointing to their caste backgrounds and claiming that caste hierarchies are less about social identity and more about “money and power”. By implying “it’s not about caste,” her post oversimplifies complex social issues and turns real systemic inequalities into a story of personal grievance and victimhood.
This framing has become the lens through which Kishore’s courtroom act is interpreted by a network of right-wing users. Supporters portray him not as a lawyer violating court protocol but as a defender of religious and cultural honour, a “brave soul” standing up against perceived insults to Sanatan Dharma. Threads and replies circulate AI-generated images depicting versions of the shoe-throwing incident, alongside memes like the Avengers bowing to Kishore, amplifying the act into an almost legendary moment.
The narrative is amplified across Facebook and Instagram as well, creating a self-reinforcing ecosystem where the parody, commentary, and memes feed off each other. Similar posts use hyperbolic, religiously charged language, framing Kishore’s act as a “brave strike against the blasphemy of Lord Vishnu’s honour” and even calling for a “Bharat Ratna” to be conferred upon him.
The social media ecosystem in India has consistently overlooked casteist content. Decode previously highlighted how Dalit artists who turned to platforms like Instagram, Facebook to challenge discrimination and assert their identities, found these platforms often failing to act on caste-based harassment. Even when creators reported abusive comments, Instagram frequently ignored them, allowing casteist abuse to persist unchecked.
The Casteist Propaganda
Podcaster Ajeet Bharti, who has 5,00,000 followers on X and over 7,00,000 YouTube subscribers, framed the shoe-throwing as a "reaction to judicial hypocrisy" in a video discussing the incident.
Bharti, a resident of Begusarai, Bihar, describes himself as a ‘journalist and author.’ He has previously courted controversy, including remarks targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
In the video related to the CJI incident, Bharti allegedly taunted Chief Justice Gavai, smirking at the episode and captioning it: “Gavai is a lousy, undeserving judge, and he should face a contempt (of court) case”.
He also made pointed remarks about Gavai’s attire, claiming the Chief Justice’s choice of Louis Vuitton (LV) shoes was incongruent with his position as a representative of the marginalised Dalit community. In a video, he says, “I wanted to make a video about ‘shoes and the Chief Justice’ after seeing his shoes in a photo recently, but could not shoot that one for some reason. Well, it seems ‘shoes’ have been sticking to him ever since!”
News agency IANS reported that Bharti was questioned by the police over a tweet about the Chief Justice of India, in which he allegedly “incited violence for hurting Hindu sentiments.”
The incident, its parody, and the surrounding commentary illustrate how a blatantly disrespectful act against the judiciary can be transformed into a digital spectacle.
Online narratives, memes, and AI-generated content have amplified Kishore’s act, framing it through religious and caste-based lenses and turning it into a widely shared symbol, even as legal and professional authorities treat it as a serious breach of conduct.
