Rafale verdict: 'No clean-chit', says Congress in its demand for JPC

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said there has been a necessity for fighter aircraft and the country cannot remain without the jets.The CJI, who read out the judgement for the three-judge bench, said no reasons were found to interfere in the procurement process for the fighter jets. The verdict was pronounced on a batch of pleas seeking a court-monitored probe into the deal, reported PTI.

Picture: Randeep Singh Surjewala (Twitter account) ‏

New Delhi: Accusing the BJP of spreading misinformation , the Congress on Monday said it will press for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) inquiry into the Rafale deal. Speaking to reporters, Congres spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said today's verdict is a validation of what Congress said months ago that SC is not the forum to discuss the modalities of Rafale deal. He said the Congress had set up a JPC for Bofors but questioned why a similar is not being consituted for Rafale? Senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia laso said the Supreme Court order giving the government a clean chit on the Rafale deal is not a setback as the issue is still live in the "people's court" and the Congress will continue to raise it in Parliament. The apex court has dismissed all the petitions seeking a direction to the CBI to register an FIR for alleged irregularities in the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France and said there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the multi-billion dollar defense deal. "The apex court order is not a setback as the Rafale deal is still an issue in the people's court. And the party will continue to raise the issue in the Parliament," Scindia was quoted by PTI while talking to reporters. Congress has been demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal. BJP has launched a counter-offensive demanding apology from Rahul Gandhi for calling PM Narendra Modi "corrupt and thief". ALSO READ: Anil Ambani welcomes judgement of Supreme Court dismissing PILs filed on Rafale contracts A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said there has been a necessity for fighter aircraft and the country cannot remain without the jets. The CJI, who read out the judgement for the three-judge bench, said no reasons were found to interfere in the procurement process for the fighter jets. The verdict was pronounced on a batch of pleas seeking a court-monitored probe into the deal, reported PTI.