Mumbai- Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday strongly condemned the attempt to throw a shoe at Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, calling the act an attack on the Indian Constitution and on democracy itself. In an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana, the Thackeray camp said the incident reflects a deeper erosion of faith in the judiciary.

“Whatever its faults, the Supreme Court remains the only ray of hope for the people of India. What happened to Chief Justice B.R. Gavai is a shameless act that must be condemned by one and all,” the editorial stated. The Thackeray camp alleged that throwing a shoe is due to the poisoning influence of the BJP and Sangh ideology. This act is condemnable and shameless. It said no true Hindu would dare to do such a shameless act.

“The lawyer who tried to throw a shoe at Chief Justice Gavai is an ardent advocate of Sanatani Hinduism. These same Sanatanis had thrown Sant Dnyaneshwar into the valley and opposed the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji. They had thrown dung on Mahatma Phule and had taken out a funeral procession for Prabodhankar Thackeray when he was alive. These same Sanatanis celebrate Godse Jayanti and even today express their perverted joy by shooting at a Gandhi effigy. These same Sanatanis took down the flag of the Maratha Empire in Pune and hoisted the Union Jack of the British. They opposed India's freedom struggle and the hoisting of the tricolor after independence. In the last ten years, India's democracy has become narrow and fanatical because of these Sanatanis," it claimed.

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena said that a Hindu state is not a state of barbarians and fanatics. “Being a Hindu does not mean being a fanatic or a blind devotee,” the editorial said, adding that those who claim to act in the name of Sanatan Dharma while resorting to violence betray the faith they profess to defend. It quoted Kishor as saying he had been inspired by a divine vision to retaliate -- an explanation the paper called both foolish and dangerous. "Chief Justice Gavai has done a great job so far. He behaved with restraint. He did not fall into the trap of the Sangh Parivar. Still, he became a target of the Sanatanis," it added.

While criticising the shoe-throwing, Saamana also mounted a broader critique of the judiciary. The editorial alleged that the country's judicial system is rotten. It has become difficult to get true justice there. Corruption and nepotism have reached the court. Since the courts are working under the pressure of the government, political attacks on democracy and the Constitution are taking place every day. “It would be understandable if a patriot, outraged by genuine injustice, had protested,” the paper said. “But to vent that anger by shouting in the name of Sanatan Dharma and attacking a sitting Chief Justice is unacceptable.”

The editorial praised Chief Justice Gavai for restraint and warned against allowing political or communal agendas to target the judiciary. "Before Gavai, Dhananjay Chandrachud was the Chief Justice, who is currently going around making revelations about his actions in court. He had even invited PM Modi for bhajans and kirtans at his house. Many Chief Justices have taken up jobs in the government after retirement. Some became governors, while a few others took office as commission heads. But anger was vented on Chief Justice Gavai by shouting in the name of Sanatan," remarked the editorial.