The BJP on Thursday said the "invisible hand" behind the petition on Judge B.H. Loya case was of the Congress and its President Rahul Gandhi and they should apologise to the country for defaming the judiciary.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came down heavily on opposition parties after the Supreme Court dismissed the petition seeking a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the death of Judge Loya.

Addressing the media soon after the apex court pronounced its verdict over death of Judge Loya, who was earlier holding trial in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh staged shootout case, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the petitions were filed with a political agenda.

"For sometime, a few people were trying to politicise the judiciary. The court has slammed the petitioners who were demanding a SIT probe into the death of Judge Loya," he said.

Accusing the Congress of being the "invisible political power or a political platform" behind the petition, Patra said it was an attempt to settle political rivalry.

"Who held a press conference on January 12, 2018? It was Rahul Gandhi. It will be true to say the invisible hand, the invisible body that the Supreme Court is talking about... is none other than Rahul Gandhi and the Congress," he said.

"You people lost power because of your inefficiencies. And it's the reason why you people are so jealous. Rahul Gandhi should come out and apologize to (BJP President) Amit Shah, the country and judiciary," he said.

He said that all the petitions were politically motivated and were aimed at defaming Amit Shah. "Today, he (Rahul Gandhi) got a befitting reply from the Supreme Court."

He accused the Congress of using such tactics as they were not able to fight politically against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah.

"The Congress has always promoted one family and when they are out of power they hatch such conspiracies," he said.

Holding that there was absolutely no merit in the petition, a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said Judge Loya had met a natural death.