Rafale deal case: Supreme Court agrees to hear review petition

Rafale deal case: The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear review petitions on its December 14 verdict on the Rafale deal, saying it was planning to consider the listing of such pleas for hearing. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan had submitted a petition in the Supreme Court after seeking a review of its verdict on the controversial Rafale deal with French defence major Dassault Aviation.

A total of four applications have been filed in the Supreme Court regarding review of its verdict. "The combination (of the judges) of the bench will have to be changed. It is very difficult. We will do something for it," the bench, also comprising Justices L N Rao and Sanjiv Khanna, said when Bhushan sought urgent listing of the petitions in the Rafale case.

Also read: Lockheed Martin unveils new F-21 fighter jet to be made in India

Bhushan said the review petition filed by AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was defective and other petitions had no defects to be cured. Also, former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie had moved the Supreme Court on Monday seeking initiation of perjury proceedings against central government officials for allegedly giving "false or misleading" information in a sealed cover in the Rafale case.

The apex court on December 14 had dismissed a clutch of PILs seeking review of the verdict. Putting the entire controversy around the Rafale deal to rest, the Supreme Court had said there was no reason to doubt the decision-making process of the central government in the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from France.

Manoj Sharma with agency inputs

Also read: Dassault CEO Eric Trappier says there's no scandal in Rafale deal, will deliver more than 36 jets if govt wants