Goa, Sept. 18 -- Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Thursday issued a clarification that he respects and believes in all religions, after a set of oral remarks he had recently made during a court hearing triggered sharp reactions on social media.

The controversy stemmed from a plea before the Supreme Court seeking the restoration of a broken idol of Lord Vishnu in the famous Khajuraho temple complex in Madhya Pradesh. While hearing the petition earlier this week, CJI Gavai had made certain observations which, once reported online, drew mixed interpretations and criticism in some quarters.

Responding to the reactions, the Chief Justice stressed that his statement had not been about religion per se but about the fact that the Archaeologi...