Rafale Documents Were Stolen from Defence Ministry, Can't be Shown in Court, Govt Tells SC

The documents cited by The Hindu in a report on the Rafale deal were stolen from the Defence Ministry and can’t be shown in court as it affects national security, the Attorney General has told the Supreme Court during a hearing of review pleas against the clean chit to the Narendra Modi government. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, one of the petitioners, meanwhile, alleged that the government lied in court on the Rafale deal and should be pulled up for perjury. 

The top court had, on December 14, 2018, dismissed four petitions seeking a court-monitored probe into the purchase of the jet fighters, saying the decision-making process was not in doubt and that it cannot go into the question of pricing and the choice of offset Indian partner by Dassault. The plea for recall of the judgment was filed by former finance minister Yashwant Sinha, journalist-turned-politician Arun Shourie and activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan among others.