Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) Senior counsel Prashant Bhushan Thursday declined the Supreme Court’s suggestion that he apologise for calling Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia corrupt, a reference to when the judge was part of the forest bench deciding on a case of mining major Vedanta.He turned down the suggestion that he should offer an apology along with an explanation of the context in which he said the action of Justice Kapadia in being part of the forest bench that decided on Vedanta was corrupt. Bhushan told the court that he had had said whatever he had to say in his two-page statement submitted Thursday and would go no further.

Appearing for Bhushan, senior counsel Ram Jethmalani said his client’s statement could not be read if Justice Kapadia had got any pecuniary benefits. He told the court to accept the explanation as it was without insisting on an apology.

Justice Kapadia was part of a three-judge forest bench, which dealt with the Vedanta case, before he became chief justice. In an interview to Tehelka magazine, Bhushan had described as “corrupt” the presence of Justice Kapadia on the bench.

He said Justice Kapadia should have recused himself because he had investments in Vedanta.