Rahul Gandhi tenders unconditional apology to Supreme Court for linking 'chowkidar chor hai' comment with Rafale verdict
Rahul Gandhi
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday tendered unconditional apology to the Supreme Court for linking its April 10 order with his remark. Gandhi had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of theft in the Rafale deal and based his 'chowkidar chor hai' remark on Supreme Court verdict.
The apology was offered in a fresh affidavit - the third by Congress president - filed by Gandhi's lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the court. In the affidavit, the Congress president said he holds Supreme Court in "highest esteem" and sought closure of contempt proceedings against him.
During the last hearing on April 30, the court had lashed out at Gandhi for the affidavit over his alleged contemptuous remark that the Congress president filed in connection with the court's April 10 verdict on Rafale case.
"You took 22 pages in the affidavit to express regret? We refrained from saying anything further in the last hearing but this is your second affidavit. You attributed the comment to us and now you are trying to justify?" the bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said.
The bench asked Gandhi to file another affidavit.
After the court rap, Gandhi's lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the bench, "There's nothing wrong in the affidavit but allow me to rectify. I will apologise. I made error. For 18 months I have been trying to say that the PM and other party workers are complicit, hence the comment (chowkidar chor hai)."
Gandhi filed a second affidavit in the court last week reiterating his stand and again expressing regret on his remarks on the Rafale verdict. Gandhi said that unfortunate references to the court order and juxtaposition of the political slogan in the same breath ought not to be construed as suggesting that the court had given any finding or conclusion on that issue.
"It is unfortunate that this slogan got intermingled with my comments on and references to the apex court's order. My statement was made in the heat of political campaigning," he said in his affidavit.
The Congress president had claimed that the apex court has made it "clear" that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "committed a theft". He had made the statement while interacting with reporters in Amethi after filing his nomination papers.
The court is hearing a criminal contempt petition filed by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi against Gandhi for his remarks against PM Modi, which the apex court said was incorrectly attributed to it by the Congress chief.