Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder Thol. Thirumavalavan on Monday condemned a lawyer, who he described as ‘Sanathana-fanatic’ for throwing an object (which he said was a ‘slipper’) at Chief Justice of India Justice B.R. Gavai, during a hearing in the Supreme Court in New Delhi. He demanded the lawyer be arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention (UAPA) Act.
In a statement, Mr. Thirumavalavan said the culprit shouldn’t be allowed to practice as a lawyer henceforth. “We learn the culprit who threw the slipper had said India would not tolerate disrespect to Sanatana Dharma. We can conclusively say from this episode that he was a Sanatanist Sanghi,” he said.
Mr. Thirumavalavan said that the Chief Justice of India, Justice Gavai ‘has imbibed the ideology of Revolutionary Ambedkar’ and the act of throwing a slipper was ‘an act against the Indian Constitution’. “Moreover, this incident has insulted the entire judiciary. This is one more evidence that the high-handedness of Sanatana forces is rampant across the country. In these circumstances, it is the need of the hour for democratic forces to unite in order to uproot Sanatana.”
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. Selvaperunthagai demanded that ‘appropriate legal action must be taken against those involved’ and that differences of opinion in a civilised democracy should be ‘expressed through debates, legal means, and peaceful methods’.