You overruled SC verdict on SC/ST Act: Chidambaram reminds Jaitley for objecting JPC probe into Rafale

Chidambaram also said several aspects of the Rafale deal were not decided by the Supreme Court. "Who will examine those issues? Or will they go unexamined?" he asked.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram. (File)

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram. (Photo credit: Express file photo)

Referring to the Centre’s recent amendments to the SC/ST Act, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday rubbished Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s claims that a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) cannot be launched into the Rafale deal.

Reminding the BJP leader of how the government and the Parliament had overruled the top court’s verdict in the case pertaining to the SC/ST Act, the Congress leader posted on Twitter, “FM asks ‘Is a Committee of Politicians fit to review issues decided by SC?’. When Government/Parliament amended the Atrocities Prevention Act to overrule the judgment of the SC, was it not a review by politicians of a judgment of the SC?”.

Chidambaram also said several aspects of the Rafale deal were not decided by the top court. “Who will examine those issues? Or will they go unexamined?” he asked.

Besides, several issues in the Rafale deal were NOT decided by the SC. Who will examine those issues? Or will they go unexamined?

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 17, 2018

The Congress leader’s remarks came after Jaitley ruled out referring the Rafale deal to a parliamentary panel following the apex court verdict and called the Congress “bad losers”.

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Also read: Jaitley: Rahul trying to bring ‘immoral equivalence’ between Rafale, Bofors

“After the Supreme Court has spoken the last word, it gets legitimacy. A political body can never come to a finding contrary to what the Court has said,” Jaitley had written in a Facebook blog, titled ‘Rafale – Lies, Shortlived lies and now further lies?’.

The Congress has been alleging corruption and has demanded a JPC probe into the purchase of the 36 fighter jets. Both houses of Parliament witnessed uproarious scenes on Friday and Monday amid a demand for the JPC probe into the Rafale issue.

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