Rafale Deal: Govt Submits Details of Decision-Making Process to Petitioners, Says All Procurement Procedures Were Followed
The documents say all process, laid down in Defence Procurement Procedure-2013, were followed for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets.
New Delhi, November 12: The Modi government on Monday submitted documents revealing details of the decision to procure 36 Rafale fighter aircraft to petitioners challenging the deal. The documents say all process, laid down in Defence Procurement Procedure-2013, were followed for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets in a fly-away condition from France's Dassault Aviation.
According to the documents, which were given to petitioners as per the direction of the Supreme Court, the government negotiated with France for about a year and took approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security before signing an agreement for the procurement of Rafale fighter jets. The government also said that it has no role in selecting an offset partner in the Rafale deal. Rafale Deal: Congress Protests Outside Reliance Office in Mumbai.
As per defence offset guidelines, a foreign manufacturer is free to select any Indian company as its offset partner, the documents point out. The government had submitted these documents to the Supreme Court in a sealed cover as directed last month. The apex court had on October 10 asked the government to disclose details of the decision-making process for the Rafale deal. ‘Rafale Deal Under UPA Was Mother of All Make in India Initiatives’.
On October 31, the top court sought more information from the government on the Rafale jet deal, including details of its pricing and deemed advantages. "The court would also like to be apprised of the details with regard to the pricing/cost, particularly, the advantage thereof, if any, which again will be submitted to the court in a sealed cover," the bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice KM Joseph said.
However, the court clarified that details which the government may, at this stage, consider to be "strategic and confidential" be submitted to the court without sharing it with the counsel for the petitioners.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 12, 2018 02:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).