SC accepted our submissions in contempt case against Rahul: Singhvi

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Thursday said he was glad that Supreme Court had accepted the apology in the contempt case against Rahul Gandhi and noted that intention was never in any manner to show disrespect to the apex court.

"I think this is largely a successful result in terms of discharge from the contempt issue," Singhvi told reporters here.

Singhvi, who spoke as a lawyer, said certain things were said in the heat of a political campaign and neither intended nor done for any other purpose than to attack a political party.

"As far as the Rahul Gandhi case is concerned, I am happy and glad that Supreme Court, in the end, has accepted our submissions that intention was never in any manner to show disrespect to the apex court...that certain things were said in the heat of a political campaign and neither intended nor done for any other purpose than to attack a political party...and has ultimately accepted our unconditional apology," he said.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi closed a contempt petition and accepted Rahul Gandhi's apology for wrongly attributing his infamous "chowkidar chor hai" remark in Rafale case to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opined that a person holding a place of importance in political spectrum should have been more careful.

On the Sabarimala decision by the top court, Singhvi said think there is a partial recognition that original Sabarimala judgement may need reconsideration, so there again it is a partial success.

"As far as Sabarimala is concerned, to the extent that majority today refers in the review proceedings the entire matter to a larger bench, I think there is partial success for our point of view. I think there is a partial recognition that original Sabarimala judgement may need reconsideration, so there again is partial success."

"I hope and trust that new bench is constituted in the near future and a final decision is binding on all is delivered," he said.

The Supreme Court on Thursday referred to a larger constitution bench a batch of review petitions against its September 2018 verdict allowing entry of women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple.

While Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice DY Chandrachud dissented, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice AM Khanwilkar, Justice Indu Malhotra sent the Sabarimala review to a larger Bench by a 3-2 ruling.

Singhvi also said that it appears there has been no stay order on the original judgement in this case.

Commenting on SC ruling on Karnataka speaker's decision, Singhvi said, "To the extent, I was defending the speaker's order, the SC had yesterday completely upheld all aspect of it-- disqualification upheld, a resignation cannot pre-emptively get rid of the disqualification upheld, a disqualification operates from the day of act of omission, not from the day, the order is passed."

"The only issue where the SC has disagreed with the Speaker, I think rightly is that the MLAs cannot stand again for the elections which are forthcoming," he said.