New Delhi: Saying that it did not want to take the matter any further, the Supreme Court said Rahul Gandhi should have “exercise caution” in the future and disposed of the case.
“The contemnor should have been far more careful. We would not like to continue with the proceedings and the contemnor should exercise more caution in the future,” LiveLaw quoted the bench as saying.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had reserved the verdict on the criminal contempt plea filed against Gandhi by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi in May this year. Lekhi had filed the case after Gandhi’s ‘chokidar chor hai‘ remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after the apex court had dismissed the Rafale probe petition.
Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, appearing for Gandhi, had told the bench, also comprising of Justices S.K. Kaul and K.M. Joseph, that the Congress president has already tendered unconditional apology and has expressed regret over the wrongful attribution to the apex court.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Lekhi, told the bench that the apology tendered by Gandhi should be rejected and action must be taken against him as per the law.
Rohatgi also argued that the court should ask Gandhi to make an apology to the public for his remarks.