Rafale deal: Supreme Court asks Modi govt for deal details
The Rafale deal between India and France has seen one controversy after another. Now, to put an end to all that, the Supreme Court has asked the Modi government to furnish details about the deal, detailing all the steps taken till the time the deal was signed. However, the apex court has not sent any notice to the government as of now. Here's more.
A bit about the Rafale deal
For those unaware, the Rafale deal involves the sale of 36 Rafale jets to India as part of the Indian Air Force's drive to modernize and upgrade equipment. Rafale jets are twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French company Dassault.
The statement came during the hearing of a PIL
The apex court's statement seeking details about the deal came during the hearing of a PIL filed by lawyer Vineet Dhanda. Dhanda's PIL seeks details of the deal and the comparative price of the deal during the UPA and the NDA government. Additionally, the PIL also seeks information about the (controversial) contract given to Reliance Defence by Dassault.
Another PIL had sought a stay order on the deal
Another PIL filed by Advocate M L Sharma earlier alleged discrepancies in the Rafale deal, and sought a stay order on it by the Supreme Court. Sharma claimed that the deal to buy 36 Rafale jets from France should be quashed as it was the "outcome of corruption" and was not ratified by the Parliament under Article 253 of the Constitution.
Yet another PIL had sought a direction against the Centre
Yet another PIL on the Rafale deal filed by Congress leader Tehseen S Poonawalla had sought a direction against the Centre to find an explanation as to why the Union Cabinet's approval was not sought as part of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) before the deal was finalized with France. The Rafale deal was signed on September 23, 2016.
