SC allows Prashant Bhushan 2-3 days to reconsider his statement

New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan two-three days to reconsider his statement refusing to apologise for his contemptuous tweets. 

However, the top court rejected Bhushan's plea seeking another bench to hear the arguments on the quantum of punishment in the contempt case. 

The Apex Court bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra and also comprising Justices BR Gavi and Krishna Murari told senior counsel Dushyant Dave, representing Mr Bhushan that no punishment will be acted on him till his review against the order convicting him in the case will be decided.

Bhushan told the Apex Court that he was 'pained' at being 'grossly misunderstood' and that he considered his tweets an attempt to discharge his highest duty. 

Reciting Mahatma Gandhi, Bhushan said, " I do not ask for 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."

Bhushan had been held guilty of contempt of court by the bench on August 14 after two of his tweets were the subject of the court's analysis. 

One was posted on June 27, pertaining to the functioning of the judiciary in the past six years. And, another was on July 22 with regard to Chief Justice SA Bobde.(UNI)