SC asks Centre to respond to Rafale verdict review petitions by May 4

The Supreme Court Tuesday directed the Centre to file response by May 4 to the petitions seeking review of last December's verdict by which the apex court had dismissed the pleas challenging India's deal to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi did not allow the plea of the Centre that it be granted four weeks time to file its response to the pleas.

It asked it to submit the response latest by Saturday.

The bench, which also comprised Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, has now fixed on May 6 the petitions seeking review of the verdict.

Former Union ministers Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha and activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan have filed a petition seeking review of the December 14, 2018 verdict of the apex court giving clean chit to the Rafale deal.

Besides the trio, AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has also filed a separate review petition in the case.

The top court rejected the pleas challenging the deal, saying there was no occasion to "really doubt the decision making process" or any reason for intervention by the court on the "sensitive issue" of purchase of 36 jets.