SC to consider pleas against Rafale verdict

New Delhi, February 21

The Supreme Court today said it would consider hearing petitions seeking review of its verdict dismissing petitions demanding a probe into alleged irregularities in procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France under an inter-governmental agreement (IGA).

In a relief to the Modi government, the top court had on December 14 dismissed petitions seeking probe into India-France deal for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets — a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation — holding there was no commercial favouritism. There was no occasion to “really doubt the decision making process” warranting setting aside of the contract, it had said.

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan today requested a Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi to consider the submission that his review petition and an application seeking perjury prosecution of some government officials for “misleading” the court during earlier hearings be listed urgently.

Bhushan said the review petition filed by AAP leader Sanjay Singh was defective and the defect had to be cured and so far as other pleas were concerned, they could be listed for the hearing. Besides former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie, and Bhushan, advocates ML Sharma and Vineet Dhanda and AAP leader Sanjay Singh had also filed pleas challenging the Rafale deal.  — TNS