October 27, 2018:

On Saturday, Centre Government has submitted to the Supreme Court details of Rafale deal decision making process in sealed covers.

Apex Court on October 10 had asked the Centre to provide details of the decision making process in the Rafale fighter jet deal sans pricing & technical specifications.

The direction to the Centre was issued on a petition filed by advocate ML Sharma. The matter will come up for the hearing on October 31.

Bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK Kaul & Justice KM Joseph had clarified that it did not want information on pricing & technical particulars.

Bench said it will not test whether Rafale jets are suitable or not but only to assess the correctness of the decision-making process.

Centre opposed the petition & sought their dismissal on the ground that they have been filed to gain political mileage.

Attorney General KK Venugopal told the Top Court,"Rafale deal pertains to national security and such issues cannot be reviewed judicially."

Supreme Court had clarified that it was not taking into account allegations made in petitions.

Centre has provided the details before the Monday deadline & has submitted 3 separate sealed covers to the Supreme Court Secretary General.

Court was hearing various petitions seeking directions, including asking the Centre to reveal details of the Rafale deal & the comparative prices during the UPA & NDA rule in a sealed cover to the Apex Court.

India signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of the Indian Air Force equipment.

The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French Aerospace Company Dassault Aviation.

Indian Air Force had advanced a proposal to buy 126 fighter aircraft in August 2007 and floated a tender. Later on an invitation was sent to various aviation companies to participate in the bidding process.

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