What happens when centuries of caste privilege collide with the rule of law? On October 6, 2025, india got a chilling answer. A shoe was hurled at Chief Justice of india B.R. Gavai, the country’s second Dalit CJI, by a 71-year-old advocate invoking “sanatan dharma.” The attack was not just an insult to a man—it was a brazen assault on India’s Constitution, equality, and the very idea of justice. This was caste supremacy wearing the mask of religion, and it couldn’t have been more symbolic, more calculated, or more terrifying. Here’s the brutal anatomy of what this incident really means for India.

1. The Attack Was a Message, Not a Mistake

The attacker, Rakesh Kishore, may have claimed offense over a remark dismissing a publicity stunt PIL, but the act went far beyond personal grievance. Flinging a shoe at the highest judicial office in the land was a deliberate signal: “Your caste does not belong here.” It was caste hatred disguised as religious outrage.

2. Caste, Not Dharma, Fueled the Assault

The remark kishore allegedly found offensive wasn’t even personal—it challenged ritualistic blind faith, not him. But the fact that he invoked “sanatan dharma” is telling. Upper-caste supremacists in india now routinely use religion to shield their caste-based aggression. This attack exposes a terrifying social reality: for some, faith is merely a weapon to preserve social hierarchy.

3. Dalit Identity vs Upper-Caste Resentment

Justice Gavai isn’t just any CJI; he is the scion of a revered Ambedkarite family, whose father witnessed India’s most transformative moments for Dalits. The shoe was aimed at that lineage, at the very idea that a Dalit can rise above centuries of oppression, and claim authority over the privileged classes. This was caste envy incarnate, flung in the courtroom.

4. Impunity for the Privileged

kishore didn’t just throw a shoe; he wrote a note declaring Hindu faith insulted. The act was symbolic, deliberate, and meant to provoke. Yet, he was released immediately, the shoe returned, and the Bar Council’s slap-on-the-wrist suspension was the only consequence. Justice Gavai himself refused to escalate. The message? Upper-caste misbehavior can often get away with impunity.

5. social media Cheerleaders and Political Silence

While opposition parties decried the act, Hindutva supporters celebrated it online, and the ruling bjp has stayed conspicuously silent, aside from mild condemnations. The political message is clear: attacking a Dalit in power is tolerated, if it suits the narrative of caste supremacy cloaked as religion.

6. The Constitution Itself Is Under Fire

This attack is not just personal; it is an attack on Article 14, on equality before the law. The Constitution promises dignity and equality, but the foot soldiers of caste hierarchy are now willing to challenge it openly. Every slap, insult, and shoe hurled is a reminder that centuries-old oppression has not disappeared—it has merely changed shape.

7. The Broader Warning

India’s modern republic is being tested. The attack on Justice Gavai is a wake-up call: the ruling ideology is emboldening caste supremacists, normalizing violence under the guise of religion, and eroding the moral authority of the state itself. The question isn’t whether india will react—it’s whether it can reclaim its founding promise of justice for all.

Closing Line (Scroll-Stopping Punch):

One shoe, one courtroom, one Dalit CJI—but the echoes of this act resonate across the nation, exposing India’s deepest fault line: the struggle between caste privilege and constitutional equality. And today, equality didn’t even get a chance to stand.