Rafale Row: SC to hear pleas challenging Rs 58,000 crore defence deal between India and France

The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear a fresh PIL challenging the controversial Rafale deal. The Fresh PIL filed before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi sought direction to the Centre to file in “sealed cover” the details of the agreement India had entered into with France to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets.

The bench, which also comprised Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, had already listed another PIL seeking to stay the high-profile fighter aircraft deal between India and France.

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A plea filed by senior lawyer Vineet Dhanda, said, "Issue an appropriate writ ...or direction directing the respondents (Centre and the Ministry of Defence) to file the details of the agreement entered into between the Union of India and France with regard to the purchase of 36 Rafale Fighter Jets in a sealed envelope."

Seeking judicial intervention, the plea said, "In order to give full stop to denigrating statements, the agreement entered into between the Government of India and the Dassault Aviation is required to be known at least by this court."

The Opposition parties led by Congress president Rahul Gandhi had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of conflict of interest in the Rafale deal.

The Congress president had alleged that the Modi government had chosen a “businessman friend” as the Indian partner of Dassault Aviation, a French defence entity responsible for making the Rafale fighter aircraft.

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Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has also filed a separate petition on Rafale deal. Singh has demanded setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of the apex court to probe the corruption allegations in the Rafale deal.