The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear two pleas against the Rafale jet deal between India and France on October 10.
The first plea, filed by Supreme Court lawyer Vivek Dhanda, seeks direction to the Centre to reveal details of the deal and comparative prices during the National Democratic Alliance and United Progressive Alliance governments in a sealed envelope, PTI reported. The plea also seeks details about the contract French firm Dassault Aviation has signed with Reliance Defence.
Advocate ML Sharma had earlier filed a plea claiming that there were discrepancies in the fighter jet deal. He had sought that the agreement be quashed as it was an “outcome of corruption” and not ratified by Parliament under Article 253 of the Constitution. Sharma’s petition will also come up for hearing on October 10.
India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in 2016 to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of Rs 58,000 crore. The Congress has accused the Narendra Modi government of signing an overpriced deal. It has also alleged that the government helped a defence firm owned by Anil Ambani, which has no experience in the sector, land a mega contract under the deal.
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