Happy that SC accepted our submission: Singhvi

The Congress on Thursday expressed happiness over the Supreme Court discharging former party chief Rahul Gandhi of contempt proceedings.

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected petitions seeking an inquiry into the Rafale fighter jet deal and warned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to be "more careful in future" as it closed a contempt case against him linked to the issue.

Speaking to reporters in the court premises, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who was also the lead counsel for Rahul Gandhi in the case, said, "I am happy and glad that the Supreme Court in the end has accepted our submission that the intention was never to show disrespect to the court in any manner."

Singhvi asserted that "certain things" were said in the heat of political campaign, and it was neither intended or done with any other purpose to attack any political party or the government, and the court has "accepted our unconditional apology".

"I know that the court has said the statement during political campaign should not have been made in the first place. That's why we had tendered an apology in the affidavit, because he had no intention. It was a political statement. His intention definitely was to speak against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government, and not against the judiciary," he said.

His remarks came soon after a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court gave relief to Rahul Gandhi by letting him off with a warning him while hearing the Rafale case.

The top court closed contempt proceedings initiated against Rahul Gandhi and said that being an important political person, he must be more careful in the future.

New Delhi BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi had accused the former Congress chief of misquoting an order of the top court.

After the December 2018 Supreme Court judgement, Rahul Gandhi had said that the court had accepted that "Chowkidar chor hai" (the watchman is a thief).

Rahul Gandhi used the "Chowkidar chor hai" slogan on a number of occasions in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. After the Supreme Court issued a contempt notice against Rahul Gandhi, the former Congress chief tendered an apology seeking closure of the proceedings.

( With inputs from IANS )