Describing the attack on Chief Justice of India BR Gavai inside the Supreme Court as a shameful act, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday expressed his strong condemnation and said this exposed the oppressive and hierarchical mindset deeply entrenched in society.
“The shameful act against Hon’ble CJI Thiru B. R. Gavai inside the #SupremeCourt is an attack on the highest judicial office of our democracy and deserves the strongest condemnation. The manner in which the Hon’ble CJI responded with grace, calm and magnanimity shows the strength of the institution, but that cannot make us take the incident lightly,” the Chief Minister wrote on his ‘X’ handle.
“The reason revealed by the attacker for his act shows how deeply the oppressive and hierarchical mindset still lingers in our society,” he pointed out and called for nurturing a culture that respects and protects our institutions and demonstrates maturity in our conduct.
Condemning the attack, Congress veteran and former Union Minister P Chidambaram termed it as ‘unprecedented and abhorrent’. “It is an attack on the dignity of our judiciary and the rule of law. When a sitting Chief Justice who rose to the nation’s highest judicial office through merit, integrity, perseverance – is targeted in such a manner, it sends a deeply disturbing message. It reflects an attempt to intimidate and humiliate a man who has broken social barriers to uphold the Constitution,” he wrote on ‘X’.
The Congress leader also saw this as a result of rising hate, fanaticism and bigotry. “Such mindless acts show how hate fanaticism and bigotry has engulfed our society in the past decade. On behalf of the Indian National Congress, I condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms. The safety and security of our judiciary is paramount,” the post read, adding “Let justice and reason prevail and not intimidation.”