AGENCIES / NEW DELHI
Supreme Court today dismissed all the petitions seeking a direction to the CBI to register an FIR for alleged irregularities in the Rafale deal.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the multi-billion dollar deal.
The bench also said there was no substantial evidence of commercial favouritism to any private entity.
The top court said there has been a necessity for fighter aircraft and the country cannot remain without jets and said it cannot compel the government to procure 126 or 36 fighter jets.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, which 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 apex court said it is not the job of the court to deal with the comparative details of the pricing.
The judgement said it does not find substantial matter to interfere with the issue of procurement, pricing and offset partner.
It noted the need for induction of 4th and 5th generation of fighter aircraft like Rafale in the Indian Air Force.
The bench said that both sides involved in the deal have clarified all aspects in the procurement.
The court also added that nobody questioned the procurement of Rafale jets when the deal was finalised in September 2016.
The verdict was pronounced on a batch of pleas seeking a court-monitored probe into the deal.
Reacting to the Supreme Court’s judgment, Mr Singh said the deal is crystal clear between India and France.
Talking to media outside Parliament, he said, Congress misled the people on the deal for political gains.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Col Rajyavardhan Rathore has said the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the petition of any probe into the Rafale Deal has vindicated the Government’s stand.
In a tweet, Mr Rathore said, there was no favouritism in the deal. He said, the truth has triumphed.
Congress has said it will continue its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Rafale deal.
Talking to media outside Parliament, senior party leader Anand Sharma said, today’s Supreme Court verdict on Rafale deal should not be seen as a setback to the Congress.
Party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, the verdict of the Supreme Court is a validation of what the Congress stated months ago, that Supreme Court is not the forum to decide such sensitive defence contract.