BJP MP moves SC against Rahul’s comments on Rafale

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 12

BJP MP from Delhi and advocate Meenakshi Lekhi on Friday filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for allegedly attributing his remarks on the recent Rafale verdict to the top court.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said it will take up the matter on Monday after senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, representing Lekhi, said the Congress president reportedly made a remark that the “Supreme Court said chowkidaar chor hai” in the verdict.

Lekhi, who represents New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, accused Gandhi of attributing his personal remarks to the top court and creating prejudice.

The Congress president had on April 10 claimed that the apex court has made it “clear” that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “committed a theft”. He had made the statement while interacting with journalists in Amethi after filing his nomination papers. He is contesting against BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani.

Gandhi had also recalled a recent interview by the Prime Minister, in which Modi had said the Supreme Court had given a clean chit to his government on the Rafale deal.

“Now the SC has made it clear that ‘chowkidarji’ (watchman) has committed a theft”, Gandhi had told reporters after filing his nomination from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency.

He had claimed that the apex court has “accepted that there is some corruption in Rafale”.

The apex court, which had earlier cleared the Modi government of accusations of corruption over the Rafale deal with France, had said it will hear a review petition on the basis of the new documents, referred to by the petitioners.

It had allowed the plea of petitioners relying on leaked documents for seeking review of its Rafale judgment and dismissed the government’s preliminary objections claiming “privilege” over them.

“I am happy and I have been saying so for months that Hindustan’s PM has given the air force money to (industrialist) Anil Ambani, and the SC has accepted it. The SC is going to investigate it,” Gandhi had said.

“I want to thank the SC. It’s a very happy day. The SC has talked about justice. Justice has prevailed,” he had added.