File picture of Markandey Katju
Press Council of India Chairperson Justice (retd) Markandey Katju on Saturday apologised to people whose feelings he may have hurt by his "90 percent of Indians are fools" remark or other statements.
"Some people have been aggrieved by my statement that 90 percent Indians are fools and some other statements. In this connection I wish to state these statements were made in a specific context, and were never intended to hurt anyone's feeling," Mr Katju said in a statement released on Saturday.
"However, if anyone's feelings have been hurt by these statements or any other statements of mine I apologise for the same," he said.
"From time to time people have been bringing to my notice that the language I use may have been harsh. So if it has hurt some feelings, I thought it fit to apologise," Mr Katju said.
Mr Katju had made the controversial comments in December last year. His remarks had evoked angry reactions following which he had issued a clarification, saying the remark had been made to generate awareness.