Bengaluru, Oct 8 (IANS) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, strongly reacting to the incident in which an advocate hurled a shoe at the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in the Supreme Court, said “we condemn the incident that took place in the Supreme Court and the insult meted out to the Chief Justice of India”.

Speaking to reporters here, he said: “If lawyers practicing in the Supreme Court hold such a mindset and ideology and one of them can remove his shoe and throw it at the CJI, it is condemnable. Such persons should be ostracised by the advocates’ fraternity.”

He added, “If this person calls himself an advocate, yet holds an ideology that does not recognise basic human dignity and consider fellow being as humans, and teaches against the opportunities women are gaining today, then the religion he invokes has, for thousands of years, kept Indians in bondage.

“The ‘Sanatan Dharma’ for which the advocate spoke has kept Indians in slavery for thousands of years.”

“Even 78 years after independence, if such a mindset persists, one can imagine how people of this ideology, like this advocate would run the country,” Kharge said. “I appreciate those advocates who condemned the incident and spoke up according to the Constitution and fundamental rights. I also thank the organisations that have spoken out on these lines.”

Kharge demanded strict action: “People who commit such acts in the name of Manu Smriti or Sanatan Dharma must be punished. Those who deliberately create social tension and disturb peace must be penalised.”

He also condemned a mob-lynching incident reported from Raebareli.

“An incident was reported from Raebareli where a man from the Valmiki community, who was on his way to his father-in-law’s house, was accused of theft, seized and beaten to death. If a theft is alleged, the person should be arrested and the matter investigated; if guilt is proved, he should be punished according to law. Taking the law into their own hands and resorting to lynching is unacceptable,” he said.

“To protect certain ideologies, some people are committing crimes and perpetrating injustice against the poor. For many years they have kept the poor in servitude while speaking of social justice. Such people should be punished legally. The government must empower the weak, otherwise the poor will be overpowered,” Kharge asserted.

–IANS

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