New Delhi: The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Centre to provide details of the decision making process in the Rafale deal with France in a sealed cover by October 29 but clarified that it does not want information on pricing and technical particulars.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it was not issuing a formal notice to the Centre as it has not considered the averments with regard to the allegations of corruption made in two PILs filed by two separate lawyers.
At the outset, the bench, also comprising Justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph, asked the Centre what if it sought details of the decision making process without the technical details and the prices of the Rafale fighter jets. Attorney General KK Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, said details on the deal cannot be shown to anybody in the interest of national security and other issues involved in the defence procurement process.
The court sought information from the Centre on the decision making process in the deal in a sealed cover by October 29 and fixed the next hearing on the PILs to October 31. “We are not on the issue of pricing and suitability of the Rafale jets but only on the decision making process,” it said. It added that the court was seeking the information only to satisfy itself, without considering the averments made in the petitions. The Centre sought dismissal of the PILs on various grounds. It said they were not public interest litigation petitions and were filed to gain political mileage. Moreover, it added, such issues cannot be reviewed judicially.
The apex court was hearing various petitions seeking directions, including asking the Centre to reveal details of the deal and the comparative prices during the UPA and NDA rule in a sealed cover to the apex court.
Congress leader Tehseen Poonawala, who had sought a direction against the Centre on why the Cabinet’s approval was not sought as part of the Defence Procurement Procedure before signing the procurement deal, withdrew his PIL.
Agencies
