New Delhi, August 24: Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, convicted of contempt of court, has once again refused to tender an unconditional apology to the Supreme Court. In his supplementary reply in the suo motu contempt proceeding before Supreme Court for his tweets against former judges and Chief Justice SA Bobde, Prashant Bhushan said tending an apology would amount to "contempt of my conscience". Contempt Case: Supreme Court Rejects Submission of Prashant Bhushan for Hearing on Sentence by Another Bench.

On August 20, the Supreme Court gave Bhushan time till August 24 to submit an unconditional apology and asked him to reconsider his defiant statement declining to apologise. "... Let it (apology) be filed by August 24. In case the apology is submitted, the case to be posted for consideration on the same on August 25," the apex court had said. However, the senior lawyer, for the second time, declined to apologise before the Supreme Court. CPI Urges SC Not to Punish Prashant Bhushan For 'expressing His Views'.

Prashant Bhushan's Full Statement:

"If I retract a statement before this court that I otherwise believe to be true or offer an insincere apology, that in my eyes would amount to contempt of my conscience and of an institution that I hold in highest esteem," Bhushan said in his supplementary reply submitted in the Supreme Court on Monday. "I have never stood on ceremony when it comes to offering an apology for any mistake or wrongdoing on my part. It has been a privilege for me to have served this institution and bring several important public interest causes before it," Bhushan added.

He went on to submit: "I live with the realisation that I have received from this institution much more than I have had the opportunity to give it. I cannot but have the highest regard for the institution of the Supreme Court. I believe that the Supreme Court is the last bastion of hope for the protection of fundamental rights, the watchdog of institutions and indeed for constitutional democracy itself. It has rightly been called the most powerful court in the democratic world, and often an exemplar for courts across the globe."

"Therefore, I expressed myself in good faith, not to malign the SC or any particular Chief Justice, but to offer constructive criticism so that the Court can arrest any drift away from its long-standing role as a guardian of the Constitution and custodian of people’s rights." On August 14, the apex court had held activist-lawyer Bhushan guilty of contempt of court for his tweet criticising the judiciary.

In June-end, Bhushan had tweeted to express his opinion that the action or inaction of the last four Chief Justices of India had contributed to the destruction of democracy in the country, without even a formal Emergency.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 24, 2020 01:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).