Bengaluru: Former Bengaluru Police Commissioner and BJP leader Bhaskar Rao has admired advocate Rakesh Kishore, who had attempted to hurl a shoe towards Chief Justice of India B R Gavai.

As his post drew sharp reaction, Rao apologised. “Even if it is legally & terribly wrong, I admire your courage, at your age, to take a stand and live by it, irrespective of consequences,” Rao said on Tuesday in a post on ‘X’.

The post enraged many ‘X’ users. Expressing shock, Nitin Seshadri said, “Sir I didn’t expect this from you. Wasn’t this similar to the language used to defend Nathuram Godse & Narayan Apte in their trials?” One user tagged the Bengaluru police saying, “@BlrCityPolice, you need to act upon this tweet!” Rao later apologised in a subsequent social media post on Wednesday.

“My reaction was one of aghast and shock that a person, despite being so highly educated, aged and experienced such an action knowing fully the consequences of a terribly and legally wrong act. I have not insulted the Supreme Court, nor Chief Justice or any Community. If my tweet has angered or hurt, I am sorry,” the retired IPS officer said.