Spit on CJI Gavai’s face, stop his car: RSS Ideologue T.G. Mohandas sparks outrage
Thiruvananthapuram: RSS ideologue and former BJP Intellectual Cell convener T.G. Mohandas has sparked outrage by urging people to “spit in the face of Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and block his car.” His inflammatory remarks came shortly after the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking the restoration of a damaged idol of Lord Vishnu at the Khajuraho temple complex in Madhya Pradesh.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel Patrika on September 30 — titled “God Punished Gavai" — Mohandas said that spitting at the Chief Justice would only result in “six months’ imprisonment,” claiming that “no Hindu was willing to do even that.” He added that even blocking the Chief Justice’s vehicle would not invite serious punishment, arguing that those detained “would be released by evening.”
Mohandas’s statements were in response to remarks made by Chief Justice Gavai while dismissing the public interest litigation on September 16. The bench, also comprising Justice Augustine George Masih, had described the petition as one filed “for publicity,” noting that the issue fell under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), not the Supreme Court.
“Go and ask God himself to do something. You say you’re a great devotee of Vishnu — then pray to him. This is an archaeological site, and only the ASI can give permission. Sorry,” Justice Gavai had told the petitioner.
The comments triggered anger among Hindutva groups, which accused the Chief Justice of “mocking” Hindu faith. Mohandas escalated the issue by accusing Gavai of “disrespecting Lord Vishnu” and demanded that he “apologize and withdraw his words.”
“The Chief Justice said he respects all religions. Who asked for that? He insulted Lord Vishnu and must admit his mistake,” Mohandas said in the video, insisting that showing respect to the office of the Chief Justice does not mean tolerating “blasphemous remarks.”
Mohandas further mocked the CJI’s meeting with President Droupadi Murmu after the controversy, alleging that social media users had “discovered” that the shoes Gavai wore in a photo cost ₹80,000.
Concluding his tirade, Mohandas said, “Even if no one respects Gavai, nothing will happen to Hindu society. But as Chief Justice, he should have had the decency not to utter such nonsense. If it was a slip of the tongue, he should apologize. We don’t need his honor or his arrogance.”
The Supreme Court’s dismissal of the plea concerned a seven-foot-tall Vishnu idol at the Javari temple within the Khajuraho complex, which the petitioner had sought to have repaired. The court maintained that the matter lay within ASI’s administrative purview, not the judiciary’s.
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
