Bulandshahr gang-rape remark: SC rejects Azam Khan's apology

NEW DELHI: An 'apology' tendered to the Supreme Court by the Samajwadi Party 's (SP) Azam Khan - for calling a gang-rape incident "a political conspiracy" - was rejected today by the court because it felt it "was not an unconditional apology".Khan, who had infamously said the Bulandshahr gang-rape in July was a conspiracy to malign Uttar Pradesh's SP government, then said he would use the word "remorse" in a fresh affidavit that the top court demanded.To that offer by Khan, the Supreme Court said it would "examine whether remorse is sufficient for tendering an unconditional apology". The court scheduled the next hearing for December 15.Last month, when the top court directed Khan to apologize, it indicated that "the controversy does not end here" (just with an apology) and added that the unconditional apology "will be considered by this court as to whether it should be accepted." That's what the Supreme Court did today.The Supreme Court bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy said at last month's hearing that the dignity of women is "uncompromisable" and told the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure that the minor survivor of the gang-rape is admitted in a central school of her father's choice. It also referred to a saying - "words once spoken cannot be recalled."Khan today also offered to pay for the Bulandshahr rape survivor's education until she graduated. She turned down that offer.