Supreme Court issues notice to Rahul Gandhi over comments on its Rafale case order, hearing on April 30

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Tuesday issued a contempt notice to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on its Rafale judgment. 

While hearing the disciplinary proceedings against Gandhi, the top court said that his remarks were "incorrectly attributed" to it. 

The top court will now hear the matter on April 30 along with petitions seeking review of its verdict in Rafale case. It also rejected Gandhi's plea to close the criminal contempt petition filed by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi.

Gandhi's counsel  Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the top that his client has apologised for the statement.

“I express regret for attributing statement 'Chowkidar chor hai' to SC,” counsel for Gandhi told the apex court. 

Reacting to this, Mukul Rohatgi, the counsel for BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, said, “This is no apology in the eyes of law.”

"Upon hearing senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi on behalf of Gandhi in the disqualification petition, we have notified the respondent (Rahul Gandhi)," said the top court bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and comprising of Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna. 

"We also direct the registry to list the review petition with the contempt petition next Tuesday," the bench added.

Rahul Gandhi Monday admitted that he misquoted the Supreme Court after its ruling on the Rafale deal and did it in "rhetorical flourish in the heat of political campaigning", without having seen, read or analysed the order.