Rafale hearing live updates: Supreme Court reserves verdict on pleas demanding probe into deal

The Modi govt has recently submitted the pricing details to the top court in a sealed cover.

NEW DELHI: Amid an ongoing war between the ruling BJP and the main Opposition party Congress over the controversial Rafale deal, the Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its order on pleas seeking court-monitored probe in the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. 

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph concluded the arguments advanced by various parties which have also sought registration of FIR in connection with the alleged irregularities in the deal.

The apex court began hearing a batch of pleas on the pricing details of the 36 Rafale fighter jets and procedure followed by the Narendra Modi government in finalising the deal with France.

The petitioners had made their submissions in the top court during the hearing.

The Narendra Modi government had on Monday handed over a 14-page document titled "Details of the steps in the decision-making process leading to the award of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft order" to the petitioners in the case.

The government had also filed in the court the pricing details of the 36 Rafale jets in a sealed cover.

The petitioners are likely to respond to the contents of the documents in which it has been stated by the government that the deal for 36 Rafale jets was negotiated on "better terms" and the Defence Procurement Procedure laid out in 2013 were "completely followed".

In its submission to the top court, the Centre also stated that the approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) was secured before the deal was inked with France.

The details of the decision-making process and pricing were placed in the court in compliance with its October 31 order.

India signed a defence 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 estimated cost of the deal is Rs 58,000 crore.

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

Here are the live updates on the Rafale row:-

14 November 2018

15:22 IST

Supreme Court reserves verdict on a bunch of petitions demanding a probe into the deal.

15:22 IST

 Centre tells the Supreme Court that there is no sovereign guarantee from the French government on the delivery of 36 Rafale jets but there is a letter of comfort from the French Prime Minister.