Activist Prashant Bhushan refuses to apologise to Supreme Court in contempt case

Bhushan said, he will not give any tender unconditional apology in the contempt of court proceedings case, in which he has been held guilty.

The senior lawyer said, if he does so, then it will be 'contempt of his conscience.'

"It is with deep regret that I read the order of this Apex Court dated 20th of August. At the hearing the court had asked me to take 2-3 days to reconsider the statement I made in the court," the statement said.

"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 stated in his reply.

"I live with the realization that I have received from this institution much more than I have had the opportunity to give it," his reply said.

"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 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," asserted the reply.