South Africa tour of India 2019
Supreme Court verdict on Rafale Defence Deal
The Supreme Court on Friday gave the Narendra Modi government a clean chit on the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.
Also, it dismissed all the petitions seeking a direction to the CBI to register an FIR for alleged irregularities in the deal.
What Court Said?
- There is no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the deal.
- There is a necessity to induct fourth and fifth generation fighter aircraft and the country cannot remain without these jets.
- It’s not the court's job to deal with the comparative details of the pricing when the need and quality of aircraft is not in doubt.
- No substantial matter to interfere with the issue of procurement, pricing and offset partner.
- No material to show that the deal is commercial favouritism.
- No wrongdoing in the selection of Indian offset partners by Dassualt Aviation.
- Questions raised on Rafale deal only after ex-French President François Hollande came out with a statement, which can't be the basis of judicial review.
- The decision to procure 36 or 126 fighter jets lies with the government, can’t compel with the government.
- Nobody questioned procurement of jets when the deal was finalized in September 2016.
- Personal perception of people on the deal matters little but the judiciary has a very constrained jurisdiction in examining defence deals of this nature especially when nation's adversaries have inducted fourth and fifth generation fighter jets compared to none by India.
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