Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said on Friday he was willing to apologise if the Supreme Court found his remarks inappropriate. Raut said he and his party never intended to commit contempt of court. "If this demand is wrong, then I apologise to the Supreme Court," Raut told reporters.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said he was willing to apologise if the Supreme Court believed that his remarks against it were inappropriate, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Raut said neither he nor his party intended to commit contempt of court. His statement came a day after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said nobody could browbeat the judiciary while hearing a plea related to the October 12 march to the Supreme Court by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court said, "We are not sitting in ivory towers. We know what statements they are making outside and what they are saying in court. We know everything."
Amid claims that the Chief Justice's observations were directed at Gandhi, Raut or Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Raut pointed out that the court had not named anyone. However, he said he was ready to apologise if required.
"If the Supreme Court thinks that, as a petitioner, Sanjay Raut has made an inappropriate statement, then there is nothing wrong in apologising to the Supreme Court, which protects the Indian Constitution," Raut told reporters, according to PTI.
Referring to the Opposition's petition alleging irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and questioning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's conduct in the matter, Raut said, "I have expressed my apology, but give us justice. Give justice to 13 crore voters whose names were deleted from voter lists."
Raut also referred to his remarks about the alleged delay in the hearing concerning the name and symbol of the undivided Shiv Sena. The party split in 2022 after Eknath Shinde, now Maharashtra's deputy chief minister, led a rebellion against then party chief Uddhav Thackeray. The Shinde-led group later received the original Shiv Sena name and its bow-and-arrow symbol.
"You have to understand our anguish. It's been four and a half years. We are fighting the case about the Shiv Sena name and symbol. Four CJIs changed during the course of hearing, and the anti-Constitutional government was installed. Give us justice. This is our only demand. If this demand is wrong, then I apologise to the Supreme Court," Raut said, as quoted by PTI.
Raut maintained that he and his party did not intend to show contempt for the Supreme Court, while reiterating his willingness to apologise if the court found his remarks inappropriate and calling for decisions on the electoral rolls and Shiv Sena name-and-symbol cases.