Justice, Lord Vishnu, and the shoe. Who speaks for the Divine?

By Prof. Hemantkumar Shah*

Rakesh Kishor, who attempted to throw a shoe at India’s Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, claimed in an interview that he did nothing of his own accord—“I only did what the Divine made me do.”

This controversy began when the Supreme Court dismissed a public interest litigation demanding the proper reinstallation of a seven-foot-tall broken idol of Lord Vishnu in Khajuraho. Justice Gavai had remarked at the time, “Go and ask the deity himself…”

But was he wrong to say that? If Lord Vishnu, considered the sustainer of all, cannot protect his own idol, then what exactly does he do? That question seems fair.

Now, if Rakesh Kishor acted on divine instruction, then—

Why didn’t he accept that Justice Gavai’s words too were spoken by divine will? If the Divine can act through Kishor, can it not act through Gavai? Does Kishor believe that the Divine belongs only to him and not to Gavai—because Gavai is Dalit?

If Sanatan Dharma teaches that everything is done by the Divine, then humans do nothing at all. So when the idol of Vishnu was desecrated during Mughal rule, that too must have been orchestrated by the Divine. One must accept what the Divine does, right?

The Archaeological Survey of India has operated under the watch of Narendra Modi’s government for the past eleven years. Why then has it failed to reinstall the broken Vishnu idol properly in all that time? Our Prime Minister claims to be non-biological. So perhaps he will act only when the Divine commands him to. Until then, he can do nothing about the broken idol.

The Divine instructed Kishor to throw a shoe at Justice Gavai, but hasn’t yet instructed the Prime Minister to restore Vishnu’s idol. Why is that? Do they worship different Divines?

In his interview, Kishor said “the Divine made me do it.” He didn’t say Lord Vishnu made him do it. Yet it was Vishnu’s idol that was desecrated. So if Vishnu didn’t act through Kishor, but some other Divine did, isn’t that an insult to Vishnu? Are Vishnu and the Divine separate? Vishnu is embodied, while the Divine is formless. It’s hard to understand what Kishor is claiming.

Kishor has effectively made the Divine the culprit behind the shoe-throwing. The Divine conspired, and Kishor executed. So shouldn’t we catch the Divine? Until the Divine is found, Kishor must be considered a co-conspirator.

And if I say the Divine instructed me to write this—would that be acceptable too?

---

*Senior academic based in Ahmedabad

Comments

Anonymous said…

Gavai is a Bouddha. He is not a Dalit. Isn't caste uniquely pinned to Hinduism? After all, that is the sole reason for AMBEDKAR TO HATE Hindus and Hinduism. Ambedkar clearly stated that he did not believe in Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Rama and Krishna. Being a devout Ambedkarite follower, it is thus obvious that your Gavai will be biased against Vishnu. Hence, it is safe, to say that your Gavai has lowered the dignity of the office of CJI by speaking against Vishnu.

Ps..Gavai is no longer a Dalit. So, it would be better to not hide behind those credentials. Also, Buddha did not hate Vishnu unlike his follower Ambedkar.

October 11, 2025

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Health Day ads spark row as NAPi targets Britannia campaign, criticizes celebrity endorsement

By A Representative The advocacy group Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi) has raised concerns over what it describes as misleading advertising of ultra-processed food products (UPFs), particularly those high in sugar, fat and salt, calling for stricter regulations and an end to such promotions across media platforms.

Search This Blog