The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted the Centre time till May 6 to file a counter affidavit in the Rafale deal case, against petitions asking the court to review its verdict dismissing the need for a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry. The court also asked the government to file its response to the petitioners by May 4, Live Law reported.
The top court’s directives came after Attorney General KK Venugopal, representing the government, sought four weeks’ time to file its counter affidavit in the case, Bar and Bench reported. The Supreme Court then adjourned the hearing.
On April 10, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the Centre’s objections to the review petitions seeking an inquiry into the Rafale fighter jet deal. In March, the government had asked for the review pleas to be dismissed, claiming they were based on “secret files” accessed from the Defence Ministry.
In December, the top court had rejected the need for an inquiry into the Rafale deal, but the petitioners then sought a review.
Prashant Bhushan, Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie were among those who had filed review petitions against the court’s judgement given in December.
The Congress and other Opposition parties have consistently alleged corruption in the Rafale deal signed by Narendra Modi’s government. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has brought up the matter multiple times. He has called the deal a “blatant case of corruption”.
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