Rafale LIVE: Setback to Govt on Election Eve as SC Allows Classified Documents to be Used in Review Petition

Rafale LIVE: In a setback to the government, the Supreme Court today rejected the Centre’s objections to petitions seeking review of the earlier judgment giving it a clean chit on the Rafale deal. The court has decided to rely upon the classified documents to decide review petitions. All three judges are unanimous in their views.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajan Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice KM Joseph pronounced the judgment. The Defence Ministry had earlier filed an affidavit in the apex court in connection with the Rafale fighter jet case, claiming that the documents submitted in the review petition are sensitive to national security.

In its December verdict, the apex court gave the Narendra Modi government a clean chit over the Rafale deal despite the Opposition’s allegations of corruption.

On March 14, the apex court had reserved verdict on the preliminary objections raised by the Centre on the admissibility of privileged documents annexed by former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie as also activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan in their review petition against the top court’s December 14 judgment. In its affidavit, the government said, the petitioners are guilty of leaking the sensitive information on the Rafale fighter jet deal which has been widely circulated and is available to the country’s enemy and adversaries.

Earlier, the Defence Ministry had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court in connection with the Rafale fighter jet case, claiming that the documents submitted in the review petition are sensitive to national security.

Appearing for the government of India, Attorney General KK Venugopal had informed the Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi-led bench on March 6 that documents cited by The Hindu newspaper in its reports on the controversial Rafale deal were stolen and cannot be shown in court as it would affect national security.

The government had also warned The Hindu with a case under the Official Secrets Act for publishing articles on the Rafale deal with France based on these documents.

The Central government had also claimed privilege over documents pertaining to Rafale deal and asserted that no one can produce them in the court without the permission of the department concerned.

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.