By Deepti Verma
Copyright republicworld
New Delhi: Chief Justice of India BR Gavai on Thursday said his remarks on the Lord Vishnu idol in Khajuraho had been misrepresented online, stressing that he holds deep respect for all religions. Responding to the controversy that erupted earlier this week, the CJI clarified during a hearing that his words were taken out of context and distorted on social media.“Someone told me the other day that the comments I made were misportrayed on social media… I respect all religions,” the CJI was quoted as saying during one of the hearings on Thursday.The CJI had drawn flak for his remarks during a Supreme Court hearing on a plea seeking restoration of a seven-foot Lord Vishnu idol at Khajuraho’s UNESCO-listed Javari Temple. “This is purely a publicity interest litigation. Go and ask the deity himself to do something. If you are saying that you are a strong devotee of Lord Vishnu, then you pray and do some meditation,” the CJI had said, dismissing the plea ruling that preservation decisions fell under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to maintain historical authenticity. Critics said his comments were dismissive of faith and insensitive to religious sentiments.The Solicitor General of India (SGI), Tushar Mehta, who was also present at the court, said he has known the CJI for the past 10 years and knows very well that the CJI visits all religious places. Mehta added that these days, things are blown out of proportion on social media.”Newton’s law says that every action has an equal reaction. Now every action has a disproportionate social media reaction,” Mehta said.Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who was also present at the court, agreed with the aforesaid view and added that lawyers suffer every day due to such kind of portrayal of issues on social media.CJI Gavai, at this stage, also mentioned that even his remarks on the Nepal issue had received a similar reaction.Justice K Vinod Chandran, who was on the bench beside CJI Gavai, also underscored the negative impact of misinformation on social media, calling it anti-social media, and shared his own experience of being misjudged online.Senior Advocate Sanjay Nuli, who had represented the petitioner, Rakesh Dalal, in the Lord Vishnu case, also clarified that the CJI never made the statement falsely attributed to him while flagging concern over misleading social media posts. (With ANI inputs)
