“I can only humbly paraphrase what the father of the nation “Mahatma Gandhi” has said in his trial: I do not ask for the mercy. I do not appeal to magnanimity. I am here, therefore, to cheerfully submit to any penalty that can lawfully be inflicted upon me for what the court has determined to be an offence, and what appears to me to be the highest duty of a citizen”.

New Delhi: Activists-Advocate Prashant Bushan on Thursday refused to apologize to avert punishment for his conviction for contempt and defiantly told the Supreme Court that he would cheerfully accepted penalty without seeking the court’s mercy or magnanimity.

Armed with the support of retired judges and buoyed by attorney journal KK Venu Gopal pleads the court doesn’t punish him. He told a bench of justices Arun Mishra, B R Gavi and Krishna Murari that for the last three decades, he had tried to uphold the majesty of the Supreme Court, “Not as a courtier or Cheerleader but as a humble guard”.

Reading out a four paragraph statement, he said, “ I find it hard to believe that the court fined my tweet has the effect of de-stabilizing the very foundation of this important pillar of Indian democracy”. I can only re-iterate that these two tweets represented my bonafied believe, the expression of which must be permissible in any democracy.

Failing to speak up would have been a dereliction of duty, especially for an officer of the court like me. “I can only humbly paraphrase what the father of the nation “Mahatma Gandhi” has said in his trial: I do not ask for the mercy. I do not appeal to magnanimity. I am here, therefore, to cheerfully submit to any penalty that can lawfully be inflicted upon me for what the court has determined to be an offence, and what appears to me to be the highest duty of a citizen”.

The bench was not moved by the defiance and said the tone and tenor of the statement appeared to aggravate the contempt. Supreme Court asked Bhushan to take two-three days time and think over it and modified it. Justice Mishra said Bhushan should admit before the court “From the core of his heart”. That he realized his mistake of “crossing Lakshmana Rekha and promise not to repeat it”. The judge emphasized that he has never punished anyone for contempt in his two decade long carrier.

Bhushan bluntly told the court “I do not want to reconsider my statement”. When the bench said he should not blame the court later on for not giving him time to rethink Bhushan said, the statement was a well taught out and considered one. If the Supreme Court wants, I can think it over: but it is unlikely that there will be any substantial change. I do not wants to waste the court’s time anymore.

However, a little later, he said, “I will consult my lawyers and see if any change can be made”. Bench rejected the Bhushan’s plea for deferment of sentencing till he had, filed his petition seeking the review of the judgement convicting him of contempt. But it clarified that in the event he was awarded punishment, the sentence would be kept in abeyance till the court decided his review petition.