AAP demands JPC probe into Rafale deal

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Friday demanded a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal, hours after as the Supreme Court dismissed petitions challenging the pact between India and France for the purchase of 36 aircraft.

AAP's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh, who was one of the petitioners, said that there were "unanswered questions" that can only be addressed through a joint parliamentary committee probe.

"We respect the Supreme Court order, but the questions -- like how a 12-day-old company became an offset partner in the Rafale deal -- can be answered only through a (joint) parliamentary committee probe," Singh said at a press conference.

He alleged that BJP chief Amit Shah was giving his party a clean chit on the basis of the Supreme Court order, "while he had tried to corner the court in the Sabarimala matter".

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court dismissed the pleas challenging the deal for the procurement of 36 Rafale jets, saying there was no occasion to "really doubt the decision making process" warranting setting aside of the contract.