New Delhi- Activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan refused to offer an apology to the Supreme Court on Monday for his two tweets against the judiciary saying what he expressed represented his bona fide belief which he continued to hold.
An insincere apology would amount to the contempt of my conscience and of an institution, Bhushan said in his supplementary statement filed in the suo motu (on its own) contempt case against him by the top court
An apology for expression of his beliefs, conditional or unconditional, would be insincere, he said.
Bhushan said as an officer of court he believes as a duty to speak up when he believe 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.
He said, My tweets represented this bonafide 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.
