New Delhi | The Congress party on Friday responding to the Supreme Court verdict on the Rafale deal said that the party still demands a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Rafale issue.
Speaking to media, former Union Minister and Congress leader Anand Sharma said,”upreme Court has not commented on many important aspects. We continue to demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee(JPC) on the Rafale Deal. JPC has the right to summon all documents.”
Earlier the Supreme Court pronouncing the verdict on pleas seeking court-monitored probe into Rafale deal said there is no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the multi-billion dollar Rafale fighter jet deal with France
The Supreme Court said it is satisfied that the process for procurement has been complied with, and there is a financial advantage. CJI Rnjan Gogoi said that earlier deal was not forthcoming. And cannot sit in judgment over decision to go in for purchase of 36 aircraft in place of 126. CJI Gogoi further said that it is Not the job of this court to go into issues of pricing. It is upto the vendor and not Central govt to decide. The bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas on November 14.
Advocate M L Sharma was the first petitioner in the case. Later, another lawyer Vineet Dhanda had moved the apex court with the plea for court-monitored probe into the deal. AAP leader Sanjay Singh has also filed a petition against the fighter jet deal.
After the three petitions were filed, former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie along with activist advocate Prashant Bhushan had moved the apex court with a plea for a direction to the CBI to register FIR for alleged irregularities in the deal.
The Centre has defended the multi-billion deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets and opposed public disclosure of the pricing details.
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 Indian Air Force equipment. The estimated cost of the deal is Rs 58,000 crore.
The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.
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