India, Oct. 13 -- The recent shoe attack on Chief Justice BR Gavai, shocking as it may seem, is not an isolated act of disrespect against an individual. The act, reportedly inspired by a god, is a symptom of a malaise that has been festering, but is beyond cure.

It is a refresher on how caste, that ancient and poisonous hierarchy, continues to infect our public consciousness - so deeply that even those who hold the highest constitutional offices are not immune to its sting. The attack was an assault on the fragile idea of equality itself.

For decades, India has sought to project itself as a modern, democratic nation built on the ruins of caste discrimination. Yet, beneath the facade of technological progress and economic triumph, caste ...