I respect all religions: CJI after flak over remarks on Lord Vishnu idol

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai on Thursday affirmed his respect for “all religions” in the wake of the online criticism his comments garnered in a matter over the reconstruction of a Lord Vishnu idol.

“Someone told me the other day that the comments I made have been portrayed in social media...I respect all religions,” he said.

A Bench comprising the CJI and Justice K Vinod Chandran on May 16 dismissed a plea seeking directions to reconstruct and reinstall a seven-foot idol of Lord Vishnu at the Javari temple, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Khajuraho temple complex in Madhya Pradesh.

Terming the plea a “publicity interest litigation”, the CJI said, “This is purely a publicity interest litigation… Go and ask the deity himself to do something. If you are saying that you are a strong devotee of Lord Vishnu, then you pray and do some meditation.” The CJI had added, “In the meantime, if you are not averse to Shaivism, you can go and worship there… there is a very big linga of Shiva, one of the biggest in Khajuraho.” The Bench had refused to entertain the plea filed by Rakesh Dalal, who sought the replacement and consecration of the damaged idol at the Javari temple in Chhatarpur district. The CJI’s remarks led to critical social media posts.

When the CJI mentioned how he was misquoted regarding the Lord Vishnu idol in Khajuraho, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said he had known the CJI for the past 10 years and Justice Gavai visited all religious places with equal reverence and would not even think of insulting any deity.

“We used to learn Newton’s law — for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Now, with the advent of social media, we have a new rule — for every action, there is wrong and disproportionate social media overreaction,” Mehta said.

The law officer called the situation unfortunate for the CJI’s observations were made viral on “totally incorrect information”.

Besides, Mehta said “something taken completely out of context” was being attributed to the CJI.

Justice Vinod Chandran, on the Bench with the CJI, referred to the ill-effects of uninformed social media posts.

Social media, the judge said, was, in fact, anti-social media.

Senior advocate Sanjay Nul, who appeared for the petitioner in the Khajuraho matter, also expressed serious concerns over the wrong social media posts, clarifying that the CJI never said what was wrongly attributed to him.

“We suffer every day; it’s an unruly horse; no way to tame it,” senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was present in the courtroom, weighed in.

The CJI also referred to recent violent protests in Nepal.