The Supreme Court has reserved order on the contempt petition filed by BJP MP Meenakashi Lekhi, against Rahul Gandhi for attributing his ‘Chowkidar chor hai’ comment to the apex court.
A bench comprising chief justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K M Joseph took up the matter two days after Rahul had aubmitted an unconditional apology for putting words into the apex court’s mouth. It was the third letter he had sent to the SC, thew two earlier being “regret” letters which the SC refused to acknowledge. As the bench took mup the matter, counsel for Lekhi, the former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi sought punishment for Rahul saying “ an affidavit filed after the court has cornered him is a belated affidavit. Hence the bench should reject the apology and take action in accordance with law.Your lordship should ask Mr Gandhi to tender apology to the public at large.”
To which Rahul counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: “My lorships never corner anybody. The submissions tendered by Mr Rohatgi are not meant for this court but outside this court.”. he also saud that since Rahul had tendered an apology for the words attributed to this court and hence this matter should be disposed off. Singhvi said.
–India legal Bureau