SC issues notice to Centre on Rafale review petitions

Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a formal notice to Centre on review petitions filed against its December 14 judgment on Rafale deal in which it had refused to order a probe into the deal of procuring 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.

Attorney General KK Venugopal has sought four weeks time to file a reply on the review. The bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi has directed the Centre to file its reply by May 4 and has posted the matter for hearing on May 6.

The Bench also comprising of Justice Sanjay Kaul and KM Joseph sought the Centre's reply on review petitioners separate plea to initiate perjury action against officials who allegedly misguided the apex court in the Rafale case.

On December 14, the Supreme Court had dismissed all petitions seeking court-monitored probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal with France, saying that there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the deal.

The top court said it was not its job to go into the issue of pricing. The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, said that there is no need to conduct an investigation into details of Rafale pricing.

Thereafter petitioners in Rafale fighter jet deal case - Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and Prashant Bhushan - in January moved the Supreme Court for review of the Rafale judgment.

The petition stated that the verdict contains several errors and also it relies upon patently incorrect claims made by the Government in an unsigned note given in a sealed cover to the court, which is a violation of the principle of natural justice.