A routine day at the City Civil and Sessions Court in Ahmedabad descended into chaos on Tuesday when a complainant, enraged by a verdict in a 28-year-old assault case, threw both of his shoes at the presiding judge.
The incident occurred in the Bhadra court complex around noon. The man was present in the courtroom of the Additional Principal Judge when the court upheld the acquittal of four individuals accused of assaulting his father back in 1997. Upon hearing the decision, the man became agitated, created a commotion, and hurled his footwear at the judge.
The original case dates back to 1997, when the complainant’s father was allegedly attacked during a scuffle that broke out after he was hit by a cricket ball while buying vegetables in the Gomtipur area. Four people were charged in connection with the assault. In 2017, a metropolitan court acquitted all four accused. The complainant had challenged this decision, and on Monday, the sessions court upheld the acquittal, which ultimately triggered Tuesday’s shoe-throwing incident.
According to Public Prosecutor Sudhir Brahmbhatt, the man began shouting abuses at the judicial officer. When police and lawyers present in the courtroom attempted to intervene and pacify him, he grew more aggressive and threw his shoes in succession towards the judge’s bench. The judge was not injured in the attack.
In a remarkable display of restraint, the judge refused to file a complaint against the man. When officers from the Karanj police station arrived and took the individual into custody, the judge requested that no formal action be taken against him for the outburst.
The incident has drawn sharp criticism and raised concerns about judicial security, especially as it comes just days after a similar event where a lawyer threw a shoe towards the Chief Justice of India in the Supreme Court. The Gujarat Judicial Service Association, led by President S.G. Dodiya, issued a statement demanding immediate and stringent security upgrades for judicial officers, court staff, and court buildings.
The association’s statement condemned both the Ahmedabad incident and the one at the Supreme Court, calling for the “swift identification, prosecution, and bringing to justice of the offenders under the applicable laws.”
