As the deadline for apology in contempt case for senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan ends today, he refused to retract his statement or submit any apology from his end. In a supplementary reply in the suo motu proceedings, Bhushan stated that if he retracts his statement before the court that he otherwise believes to be true would amount to the contempt of his conscience in his eyes.

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"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 the contempt of my conscience and of an institution that I hold in highest esteem," Bhushan has said in his reply.

Deadline ends today:

It is pertinent to note that on August 20, the apex court had reserved its order on the suo motu criminal contempt of court proceedings against Prashant Bhushan but had asked him to reconsider the statement and submit his unconditional apology by August 24.

Bhushan has clarified that he has nothing but the highest regard for the institution of Supreme Court

Expressed myself in good faith : Bhushan

Bhushan said as an officer of court he believes as a duty to speak up when he believes there is a deviation from its sterling record. Therefore I expressed myself in good faith, not to malign the Supreme Court 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 peoples' rights, he said.

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He said, My tweets represented this bona fide belief that I continue to hold. Public expression of these beliefs was I believe, in line with my higher obligations as a citizen and a loyal officer of this court. Therefore, an apology for expression of these beliefs, conditional or unconditional, would be insincere.

Bhushan further said that an apology cannot be a mere incantation and any apology has to, as the court has itself put it, be sincerely made. This is especially so when I have made the statements bona fide and pleaded truths with full details, which have not been dealt with by the Court. 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 the contempt of my conscience and of an institution that I hold in highest esteem, he said.

Bhushan, who is a public interest lawyer in the Supreme Court of India was held guilty of contempt of court for two of his tweets, the first one posted on June 29, related to his comment/post on a picture of CJI Bobde on a high-end bike. In his second tweet, Bhushan expressed his opinion on the role of last four CJIs amid the state of affairs in the country.

(inputs from agencies)