A bench comprising the CJI and Justice K Vinod Chandran on May 16 dismissed the 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
Someone told me the other day that the comments I made have been portrayed on social media... I respect all religions, the CJI said. File Pic
Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai on Thursday reaffirmed his respect for all religions, responding to online post following his remarks during a hearing related to the reconstruction of a Lord Vishnu idol, reported the PTI.
"Someone told me the other day that the comments I made have been portrayed on social media... I respect all religions," the CJI said in court.
A bench comprising the CJI and Justice K Vinod Chandran on May 16 dismissed the 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.
The bench termed the petition a "publicity interest litigation", with CJI Gavai remarking, "Go and ask the deity himself to do something. If you are a strong devotee of Lord Vishnu, then you pray and meditate," according to the PTI.
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," as per the PTI.
The plea was filed by Rakesh Dalal, who sought the replacement and consecration of a damaged idol at the Javari Temple in Chhatarpur district.
Following the hearing, the CJI’s comments drew criticism on social media, prompting clarification in court.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, speaking in support of the CJI, said, "I’ve known the CJI for the last 10 years. He visits all religious places with equal reverence and would never think of disrespecting any deity," the PTI reported.
Mehta criticised social media reactions, stating, "We used to learn Newton’s law – for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Now, with social media, the law seems to be: for every action, there is a wrong and disproportionate overreaction."
He called it "unfortunate" that the CJI's remarks were misquoted and shared out of context, adding that the viral posts were based on “completely incorrect information.”
Justice Vinod Chandran, who was also on the bench during the hearing, highlighted the harm caused by misinformed posts on social media, describing it as “anti-social media.” He shared an instance where he had to recuse himself from a case due to misleading online commentary about the involved lawyer, the news agency reported.
Senior advocate Sanjay Nul, who appeared for the petitioner in the Khajuraho case, also expressed concern, stating that the CJI never made the remarks being falsely attributed to him.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, present in the courtroom, added, "We suffer every day. It’s an unruly horse with no way to tame it."
(with PTI inputs)
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