Rafale deal: SC asks Centre for details of decision making process in sealed cover

The Supreme Court was hearing various petitions seeking directions, including asking the Centre to reveal details of the Rafale deal and the comparative prices during the UPA and NDA rule in a sealed cover to the apex court.

A file photo of a Rafale fighter jet. Photo: AFP

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Central government to provide details of the decision making process in the Rafale deal with France in a sealed cover by October 29. The apex court, however, clarified that it does not want information on pricing and technical particulars. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it was not issuing a formal notice to the Centre as it has not considered the averments with regard to the allegations of corruption made in two PILs filed by two separate lawyers. At the outset, the bench, also comprising Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, asked the Centre what if it sought details of the decision making process without the technical details and the prices of the Rafale fighter jets. Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, said details on the deal cannot be shown to anybody in the interest of national security and other issues involved in the defence procurement process. The court sought information from the Centre on the decision making process in the deal in a sealed cover by October 29 and fixed the next hearing on the PILs to October 31. "We are not on the issue of pricing and suitability of the Rafale jets but only on the decision making process," it said. It added that the court was seeking the information only to satisfy itself, without considering the averments made in the petitions. The apex court was hearing various petitions seeking directions, including asking the Centre to reveal details of the deal and the comparative prices during the UPA and NDA rule in a sealed cover to the apex court. The Opposition has cornered the Modi government on the politically-charged Rafale deal claiming corruption in the purchase of fighter jets from France. Congress President Rahul Gandhi has accused Prime Minister of helping his "friend" industrialist Anil Ambani from the deal. Gandhi said Anil Ambani firm was favoured in the offsets contract at the cost of state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) despite the private firm having no prior experience in aerospace manufacturing. The deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets from France was announced by Modi in 2015 and signed in 2016. The UPA government was earlier negotiating a deal to procure 126 Rafale jets, with 18 to come in flyaway condition and 108 to be manufactured by HAL under licence. (With inputs from PTI)