Supreme Court agrees to hear review petitions against Rafale verdict in open court
India | February 26, 2019 18:07 IST"The prayer for open Court hearing is allowed", the bench said.
"The prayer for open Court hearing is allowed", the bench said.
The Supreme Court will hear on February 26 the two petitions seeking review of its December 14 verdict that had dismissed pleas challenging the deal between India and France for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets.
An apex court bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices L N Rao and Sanjiv Khanna, said four applications or petitions have been filed in the Rafale matter and one of them is still lying with the registry on account of defect.
The French govt's strong assertion comes a day after CAG report on the Rafale deal signed by the Modi government to procure 36 fighter jets from France's Dassault got 2.86 per cent cheaper price than UPA in 2007.
Now that Rahul Gandhi has rejected both the Supreme Court's verdict and the CAG report, it is quite clear that he wants to make Rafale an election issue.
"BJP demands that Rahul apologise as SC order and CAG report on Rafale jet deal have exposed his lies," Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
The opposition is trying to rake up the Rafale issue as a counter to the Bofors deal, the minister said.
"The lies of 'Mahajhootbandhan' stand exposed by the CAG Report. How does democracy punish those who consistently lied to the nation?," questioned Arun Jaitley in a tweet.
"It cannot be that the Supreme Court is wrong, the CAG is wrong and only the dynast is right. Satyameva Jayate" – the truth shall prevail. The CAG Report on Rafale reaffirms the dictum," said Arun Jaitley.
The delivery schedule of the first 18 Rafale aircraft is better than the one proposed in the 126 aircraft deal, by five months, report added.
CAG Report On Rafale Deal: 'NDA Rafale Deal 2.86% Cheaper; Saved 17% On India-Specific Enhancements'
The Citizenship Bill and the Triple Talaq Bill will lapse if not passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, the last day of the Budget session.
The Union minister further asked Gandhi to answer how he got hold of the company's internal communication and accused him of acting as a "lobbyist" of foreign firms.
The Prime Minister Is Acting Like Anil Ambani's Middleman For Rafale, Says Rahul Gandhi
It is pertinent to mention here that just months ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2019, the principal opposition party is trying to corner the Centre over the Rafale deal.
BSP president Mayawati on Monday cited a newspaper report to take a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal, saying honesty, national interest and national security can be compromised and ignored for the sake of the "chowkidar".
In a communique to the former bureaucrat, the Congress has alleged that the government compromised "national interest" and "national security" in the purchase of the 36 aircraft.
A day before submission of the audit report on military procurement, including the Rafale jet deal, by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India to the President, the Congress on Sunday citing a "conflict of interest" said the exercise is a cover-up of the "scam".
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