The company had announced in July that it plans to exit international markets as part of its global rewire strategy to cut costs and focus on key markets for maximum impact. Since February this year Harley-Davidson has been on the lookout for an India partner and the company has been in talks with Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp and Mahindra. Harley Davidson has not confirmed if it is still in talks for a strategic partnership for the India market. There are reports that the company is expecting partnership with Hero MotoCorp.

The motorcycle giant also announced that it would also be reducing staff in its India office.

Harley, which entered India in 2010 has sold over 25,000 units in ten years. The India exit comes due to low sales volumes. The company produced 236 units and sold 176 units in India in August. Harley reported a decline of 64 percent in sales during the April-August period.

Harley-Davidson, which has approximately 25 outlets in India, has informed dealer partners that it would not be renewing contracts after December 31 this year.

The departure is also the latest setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strategy to encourage domestic manufacturing that would keep more of the fruits of a gigantic home consumer market in India.

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Bhushan said, in a statement submitted to the apex court, that his tweets represented his bona fide beliefs which he still continues to hold.

“An apology has to be sincerely made. If I retract a statement that I otherwise believe to be true or offer an insincere apology that in my eyes would amount to contempt of my conscience and of an institution (Supreme Court) that I hold in the highest esteem,” the statement said. “An apology for expression of beliefs, conditional or unconditional, would be insincere,” Bhushan said.

Bhushan said that as an officer of apex court it is his duty to speak up when he believes there is a deviation from the court’s sterling record.

“Therefore I expressed myself in good faith, not to malign the Supreme Court or any particular Chief Justice, but to offer constructive criticism so that the court can arrest any drift away from its long-standing role as a guardian of the Constitution and custodian of peoples’ rights,” he said.

Bhushan added “My tweets represented this bona fide belief that I continue to hold. Public expression of these beliefs was I believe, in line with my higher obligations as a citizen and a loyal officer of this court.”

At the last hearing on Thursday, the court had sought an unconditional apology and gave the 63-year-old a few days to “reconsider” his statement.

“Don’t just apply legal brain here,” Justice Arun Kumar Mishra, who led the bench, had told Mr. Bhushan, commenting that he had not convicted anyone of contempt in 24 years as a judge. But freedom of speech is not absolute, Justice Mishra said, adding, “You may do hundreds of good things, but that doesn’t give you a license to do ten crimes”.

The tweet in question accused Chief Justice SA Bobde of riding a motorcycle- he was photographed on a Harley Davidson in Nagpur last month- without a helmet and face mask while keeping the court in lockdown and denying citizens the right to justice.

The other tweet was about four previous Chief Justices of India whom he accused of having a role in “destroying democracy”.

He might face simple imprisonment for six months or with a fine of up to Rs 2000 or with both as punishment.

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