Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie, Prashant Bhushan move SC seeking FIR in Rafale deal
Former union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie, along with advocate Prashant Bhushan, have approached the Supreme Court, seeking the registration of a criminal case and a court-monitored investigation into the Rafale fighter jet deal between India and France.
The petition filed on Wednesday alleges corruption in the procurement of 36 Rafale aircraft by the highest public servants in the country and claims that procedures were ignored to make a new deal with the French company.
The National Democratic Alliance government’s decision to enter an $8.7 billion government-to-government deal with France to buy 36 Rafale warplanes made by Dassault Aviation was announced in April 2015, with an agreement signed a little over a year later. This replaced the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime’s decision to buy 126 Rafale aircraf t, 108 of which were to be made in India by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
The deal has become controversial with the opposition, led by the Congress, claiming that the price at which India is buying Rafale aircraft now is ~1,670 crore for each, three times the ~526 crore, the initial bid by the company when the UPA was trying to buy the aircraft.
It has also claimed the previous deal included a technology transfer agreement with HAL.
The NDA has not disclosed details of the price, citing a confidentiality clause. The deal has also become controversial on account of the fact that one of the offset deals signed by Dassault is with the Reliance Group of Anil Ambani. The Congress claims the earlier deal was scrapped and a new one signed just to provide Ambani this opportunity for an offset deal. Both the government and Reliance have repeatedly denied this.
Assailing the procedure adopted by the NDA government for the purchase of the 36 jets, the petition filed by Sinha and Shourie, dissidents from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, says: “...highest ranking public officials, unilaterally, in violation of all mandatory procedures, without obtaining any SQRs from the IAF, or any decision of the Categorisation Committee or any Acceptance of Necessity from the Defence Acquisition Council, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the French regarding purchase of just 36 Rafale aircraft, all in a ‘fly away’ condition with no Transfer of Technology and no Make in India.”
SQRs is short for service qualifying requirements.
Uttarakhand tourism dept selects 29 hill villages to promote trekking clusters
- Under the Trekking Traction Homestay Scheme, villages near important and popular trekking routes are being developed by the tourism department as trekking clusters.
1000 held for rioting at Bhopal rally against farm laws
- Congress leaders accused the police of using force to create a nuisance during a peaceful protest of farmers and Congress workers.
Uttarakhand to give ₹15 lakh to kin of martyrs, says CM Trivendra Singh Rawat
- Taking a cue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling Uttarakhand the Sainya Dham - fifth dham after the traditional Char Dhams -- Rawat in 2019 had announced that the state government will set up a Sainya Dham in Dehradun.
Clashes between rival groups leave 2 dead, several injured in Odisha’s Bolangir
- A police team has been deployed in the village to ward off any fresh trouble. The police have also initiated an investigation to nab all the accused.
IAF ready to tackle any challenge from Leh to Kanyakumari, says Rafale pilot
4°C fall in temp from Jan 26, cold wave return likely: IMD
In poll-bound Bengal, politics overshadows Netaji’s birth anniversary
- Some leaders and political experts even described Modi’s visit as an exercise to woo Bengali voters on whom Bose’s ideology has great influence even after 76 years of his mysterious disappearance.
Amit Shah launches cashless medical scheme for CAPF personnel, families
- With the scheme, nearly 5 million CAPF personnel and their families can avail cashless medical treatment.
'7 more states to start administering Covaxin from next week': Health ministry
Lalu Prasad admitted to AIIMS-Delhi
None of the deaths preceded by inoculation linked to Covid-19 vaccination
Odisha govt plans to launch employment scheme for urban poor
- The scheme aims at reduction in livelihood vulnerabilities of the urban poor including migrant labourers and informal workers.
Appoint chairman, members for PMLA Appellate Tribunal: Lawyer’s plea in SC
- Presently, over 5,000 cases are pending with the Tribunal of which the bulk of matters arise out of proceedings under PMLA.
'People of Tamil Nadu will determine their future, not Nagpur': Rahul Gandhi
- Gandhi is on a tour of the western belt where he will next visit Erode, Tiruppur, Karur and Dindigul districts to meet farmers, weavers and youngsters.
