SC dismisses review petition seeking court monitored criminal probe in Rafale deal

In yet another judgement, the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a review petition seeking a court-monitored criminal probe in Rafale fighter jet deal. The three-judge bench of the top court,

In yet another judgement, the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a review petition seeking a court-monitored criminal probe in Rafale fighter jet deal.

The three-judge bench of the top court, presided by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, dismissed the review petition in an unanimous judgement.

The development comes as a huge relief for the Narendra Modi government, which was questioned over the deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.

The apex court had earlier rejected pleas seeking court-monitored investigation into the controversial Rafale deal in December last year. But several pleas were later filed asking the Supreme Court to review its decision.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan and former Union minister Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie filed review pleas in February 2019, demanding the court to reverse its verdict.

In December, the top court had denied a CBI probe into the corruption allegations in the deal.

The Rafale deal pertains to a government-to-government agreement signed between India and France to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets from the French aerospace giant Dassault. The deal was signed by PM Narendra Modi during his first term in office.

The deal became controversial over allegations that the Modi government had bypassed established norms of acquisition to sign the deal and that industrialist Anil Ambani received undue favours under the deal.

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