SC closes contempt case against Lalit Modi after he tenders apology

The Supreme Court on Monday closed contempt proceedings against ex-IPL commissioner Lalit Modi after he tendered an unconditional apology for his remarks against the judiciary in social media posts.

A bench of Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar took note of an affidavit filed by Modi in which he stated that in future he will not do anything which is inconsistent with the "majesty or dignity of courts or Indian judiciary" in any manner.

"We accept the unconditional apology. We remind the respondent (Modi) that any such attempt on his part in future, which would tantamount to remotely tarnishing the image of Indian judiciary and courts, will be seen very seriously," it said.

"We accept the unconditional apology with a broad heart because the court always believes in forgiveness, more particularly when an apology is tendered unconditionally and from the bottom of the heart... Accepting the apology we close the present proceedings," the bench said.

The court said, "Everybody should respect the institution as a whole, that was our only concern".

On April 13, the top court had come down heavily on Modi over his remarks against the judiciary and directed him to tender an unconditional apology on social media platforms and national newspapers.

Observing that Modi is not above the law and the institution, it had warned any repeat of such conduct will be viewed very seriously.

The apex court had also directed him to file an affidavit before it tendering an apology and stating no such posts will be made in future which would tantamount, even remotely, to tarnishing the image of the Indian judiciary.