New Delhi, October 27: The Central government on Saturday submitted details of the Rafale aircraft pact with France before the Supreme Court. According to a tweet by ANI, the government has submitted the decision making process in the Rafale aircraft deal with France in a sealed cover with Court Secretary-General. The submission of the details by the Central government comes following the top Court's order to provide details of the fighter jet deal with France in a sealed cover, clarifying that it does not want information on pricing and technical particulars.
In the last week, the Supreme Court sought information from the Centre by October 29 and fixed the next hearing on the PILs to October 31. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, also made it clear that it was not taking into account the allegations on corruption in the deal made in the petitions. You Can Run, But Can't Hide: Rahul Gandhi Tells Narendra Modi Over CBI Feud & Rafale Deal.
The Centre had opposed the PILs in court and sought that they be dismissed on the ground that they were filed to gain political mileage. According to a report by PTI, Attorney General K K Venugopal informed the top Court that the issue in question pertains to national security and such issues cannot be reviewed judicially. The Supreme court, however, did not issue any notice to the Centre on two PILs filed by two separate lawyers seeking a court-monitored probe in the deal. CBI vs CBI Battle Explained: Why Alok Kumar Verma and Rakesh Asthana are at Loggerheads? How it All Started.
The Rafale aircraft deal is a defence agreement signed between India and France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as a part of the upgrading process of Indian Air Force equipment. Congress Takes A Dig At Modi Government For Adopting Different Yardsticks For Rafale And AK-103 Deals.
On October 24, a fresh Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Supreme Court in connection with the controversial Rafale deal. According to a report by ANI, the plea states that an FIR was not registered in connection with their complaint as there is extreme pressure on the CBI and seeks orders for non-transfer of CBI officials investigating the Rafale issue.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 27, 2018 01:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).