PTI
 
MUMBAI, Nov 8: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackerary on Tuesday apologised to the Bombay High Court in a contempt of court case filed against him by two organisations for his statement that MNS activists would not let lawyers who defended the accused in the July 11 train bombings to "move on the streets".

"I sincerely and unconditionally apologize to this court if what I allegedly said or did has in any way prevented the High Court from administration and dispensation of justice," said his affidavit.

At the same time, in the affidavit filed before the division bench of Justices B H Marlapalle and J H Bhatia, Raj claimed his statement, made at a meeting organised on July 16 to pay homage to the victims blasts, "has been grossly misinterpreted by press reporters" and "none of the press reports match each other".

Elaborating on his alleged threat to lawyers, Raj said all he intended to say was that his party would "stage demonstrations against lawyers who accepted the brief of the accused in bomb blasts, which any person is entitled to convene".

Also the statement was not meant to hamper the administration of justice as was alleged by petitioners advocate Suresh Rajeshwar and Maharukh Adenwala, Raj stated. He claimed the statement was "inspired by a moral and social conscience".

Raj also relied on legal niceties to defend himself, arguing that under the contempt of court law, his statement on July 16 did not amount to contempt because the judicial proceedings in the July 11 case had not started at that point of time.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for November 16.