Satya Prakash
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 29
Congress president Rahul Gandhi again expressed “regret” today for his “chowkidar chor hai” jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrongly attributing it to the court’s verdict on Rafale and urged the court to dismiss BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi’s contempt petition against him.
In a fresh affidavit filed in response to the SC’s April 23 contempt notice, Gandhi undertook not to “attribute any views, observations or findings to the court in political addresses to the media and in public speeches, unless such views, observations or findings are recorded by the court”.
Accusing Lekhi of dragging the court into a political controversy “for personal gains and political mileage”, the Congress president requested the top court to dismiss her contempt petition against him “at the very threshold”.
He pointed out that PM Modi had “clearly suggested” that the court had given him a clean chit in the Rafale deal.
In a related development, a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi allowed the Centre’s counsel to circulate a letter for adjournment in Tuesday’s scheduled hearing on Rafale review petitions which were to be taken up along with Lekhi’s contempt petition against Gandhi.
In a setback to the Centre, the top court had on April 10 dismissed its preliminary objections against considering leaked documents to decide petitions seeking review of its December 14 Rafale verdict. In his fresh affidavit, Gandhi reiterated what he had said in his explanation earlier that his statement was made in the “heat of political campaigning” and there was not the “slightest intention to insinuate” anything regarding the SC proceedings in any manner.
He said his statement was made in purely political context to counter the “misinformation campaign” by senior BJP leaders and the government that the December 14 verdict was a “clean chit” to the Centre regarding all aspects of the Rafale deal.
This is the second affidavit filed by Gandhi in the case.
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2WcV50J
via Today’s News Headlines
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