Satya Prakash
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 30
Admitting that he wrongly attributed his “chowkidar chor hai” jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the court’s April 10 verdict on admissibility of certain documents in Rafale case, Congress president Rahul Gandhi today issued a verbal apology to the Supreme Court.
“I am saying sorry… I sincerely apologise for attributing the comments to the honourable court,” senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Gandhi, told a Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
“But where is the apology in your affidavit? When you commit mistake, you should admit the mistake,” said the Bench, which also comprised Justice Sanjay Kishan Kual and Justice KM Joseph. “We have great difficulty in understanding what you want to say in the affidavit,” it added.
“I (Gandhi) will file a short affidavit unconditionally apologising to the court,” Singhvi said. He said his client admitted that he made a mistake and that’s why he expressed regret.
On behalf of contempt petitioner BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said Gandhi had only expressed regret and not apologised to the court.
Accusing Gandhi of dragging the top court into a political fight, Rohatgi said: “It’s like adding insult to the injury… You either justify your comment or tender an unconditional apology.”
The Bench too pointed out contradictions in Gandhi’s affidavit. “You make the statement and then justify it. Where in our order we have said so? How do you attribute all these statements to us?” asked the Bench, which had earlier clarified that it had never made such remarks about the Prime Minister.
As the Bench wondered what the meaning of regret was, Singhvi said: “Regret means apology… I have checked the dictionary.”
When the senior counsel said he wanted to file a short affidavit unconditionally apologising to the court, the Bench gave him liberty to file a fresh affidavit and posted the matter for further hearing on Monday.
This will be the Congress president’s third affidavit on the issue. He had expressed only regret in his earlier two affidavits. On Monday, Gandhi expressed “regret” for the second time for his “chowkidar chor hai” jibe at Modi wrongly attributed to the court’s verdict on Rafale. He had urged the top court to dismiss Lekhi’s contempt petition against him.
But on Tuesday, the top court repeatedly asked Singhvi to clarify how contempt was not made out against Gandhi.
While allowing Singhvi’s plea to file a short affidavit unconditionally apologising to it, the Bench made it clear that it would decide whether to accept the apology.
Top court rap
But where is the apology in your affidavit? When you commit mistake, you should admit the mistake… We have great difficulty in understanding what you want to say in the affidavit. SC Bench
Cong chief’s reply
I am saying sorry… I sincerely apologise for attributing the comments to the honourable court… I will file a short affidavit unconditionally apologising to the court.— Rahul Gandhi, Congress Chief
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2PBWYl5
via Today’s News Headlines
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