Rafale verdict: Houses adjourned; opposition demands parliamentary panel probe

The Supreme Court's decision to dismiss all petitions that sought a court-assisted probe into the controversial Rafale deal created ruckus in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Friday, resulting in adjournment of both the houses of Parliament till Monday. 

On Friday morning, the apex court dismissed all the petitions seeking a direction to the CBI to register an FIR for alleged irregularities in the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France and said there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the multi-billion dollar defense deal.

Read: Rafale: Supreme Court dismisses petitions seeking probe into deal

Attacking the Congress after the SC verdict Home Minister Rajnath Singh demanded Congress President Rahul Gandhi's apology for misleading the public. "Congress President tried to mislead public for political benefit, and maligned Indian image globally... He should apologise to the house and to the people of the country," Singh said. 

Meanwhile, the Congress and the TMC maintained that they would continue to demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Rafale deal. The opposition argued that the Supreme Court maintained distance from commenting on the deal simply because it was not in its jurisdiction. "Our demand was for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and it still stands. Main issue is pricing which SC said it did not want to comment as it is not in its jurisdiction. Home Minister is speaking on an incomplete judgement given on a PIL," Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said. 

"The Supreme Court has not commented on many important aspects. We continue to demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Rafale deal. JPC has the right to summon all documents... There is no reason for PM and BJP government to celebrate the Supreme Court order which in itself is contradictory. Honourable SC has said it won't be proper for it to go into details of the deal," said Anand Sharma, deputy leader of the Congress in Rajya Sabha. 

"The Supreme Court said what it thinks was right, but the political parties demand a JPC probe into the Rafale deal," said TMC MP Saugata Roy.  

Soon after the Supreme Court verdict gave a clean chit to the Centre on Rafale deal, the BJP demanded an apology from the Congress and its president Rahul Gandhi for levying allegations against PM Modi in the Rafale fighter jet deal. Welcoming the judgement, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said, "Every deal is not Bofors deal. It is the culture and tradition of Congress and its top leadership to mint money from such deals on the cost of country's national security," he said.

"The verdict of the Supreme Court today is a validation of what the Congress party stated months again, that SC is not the forum to decide the such sensitive defence contract," said Congress leader Randeep Surjewala. "Article 136 and 32 are not the forum to decide the issue, the pricing, the process, the sovereign guarantee and the corruption in the Rafale contract. The only forum and only media is a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) which can probe the entire corruption in the Rafale deal," he added. 

Rahul Gandhi and the Congress should apologise to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making false allegations against him and questioning his credibility, he added.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said there is a necessity for fighter aircraft and the country cannot remain without the jets. The verdict was pronounced on a batch of pleas seeking a court-monitored probe into deal. 

The petitioners, on their part, said they would continue their campaign against the Rafale deal. "In our opinion, the Supreme Court judgement is totally wrong. The campaign will certainly not drop and we will decide if we will file a review petition," said senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, one of the six petitioners. 

(With PTI inputs)