Supreme Court seeks details of decision-making in Rafale warplane deal 

Rafale fighters of the French air force.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, sought details from the government on the decision-making process of Rafale warplane deal, which resulted in the purchase contract for the fighter jet being awarded in a sealed envelope to French company Dassault Aviation.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK Kaul and Justice KM Joseph made it clear that they are not deliberating on any opinion on whether the Rafale fighter jet is suitable for the Indian Air Force or not. Even the bench said that they do not want any information regarding price and technical details of the Rafale deal.

The bench said, “We are not issuing any notice to the government, we only want to be satisfied about the legitimacy of the decision-making process.”

The Centre has opposed to the public interest litigations (PILs) filed on Rafale deal in the Supreme Court, which the court had fixed October 31 for hearing, and has demanded their dismissal on ground that they had filed to gain political benefits,

Appearing on behalf of the government, attorney general KK Venugopal told the court, “These political interest petitions are filed on the eve of elections when the government and opposition are locked in a bitter fight over the Rafale jet deal.”

The top court had clarified that it is not taking the allegations made in the petitions.

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