Advocate approaches CBI for registration of FIR into Rafale deal

An advocate, on whose petition the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to provide details of the decision-making process in the Rafale deal, approached the CBI Friday seeking registration of an FIR in the fighter jet deal.

The court had earlier, while seeking the report in sealed cover, had clarified that it does not want information on pricing and technical particulars.

In his complaint before the CBI, advocate M L Sharma has sought registration of FIR against high functionaries of the government under sections 409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant), 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act.

Sharma's move comes within a couple of days of former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan lodging a complaint with the CBI for registration of FIR into the Rafale fighter jet deal between India and France.

India signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of the Indian Air Force equipment. The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.

Indian Air Force had advanced a proposal to buy 126 fighter aircraft in August 2007 and floated a tender. Following this, an invitation was sent to various aviation companies to participate in the bidding process.