The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the review petitions challenging its December 2018 verdict in the Rafale case. The bench comprising Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph observed that the petitions ‘lack merit’, and there was no need for registration of an FIR or an inquiry in connection with the Rafale deal.
Maintaining that the review petitions have sought registration of an FIR in connection with Rafale fighter jets jet deal, the bench said, “We do not consider it to be a fair submission”. The apex court rejected pleas that had sought re-examination of December 14 judgment seeking a court-monitored investigation into the India-France deal.
The CBI must register an FIR in the Rafale deal, lawyer Prashant Bhushan and former BJP leader Arun Shourie said on Friday, a day after the Supreme Court gave the government a clean chit in the fighter-jet agreement. The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected pleas, including one by Bhushan, Shourie and former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, for a review of its judgement that gave a clean chit to the Modi government on the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. It also said there is no ground to order an FIR by the CBI or a roving inquiry into allegations of irregularities in the controversial deal. Bhushan said it is binding on the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe their complaint despite the ruling by the three-judge apex court bench. If the CBI fails to do so, it will again approach the Supreme Court, Bhushan told reporters at a press conference also addressed by Shourie. Sinha was not there. PTI
Arun Shourie, Yashwant Sinha& I are having a Press Conference on the Rafale review judgement at 3 pm at the Press Club today. Since PC Act has been amended to req govt permission for Investigation, we are also asking the CBI Dir to seek it. Why should govt shy away if it's clean?
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In the order, the SC had dismissed two petitions — one filed by former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and advocate Prashant Bhushan, and the other by AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh — seeking a court-monitored investigation into the India-France deal for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft.