Supreme Court to hear plea for Rafale judgment recall on March 6

The Supreme Court is likely to hear, on March 6, the petitions seeking a recall and review of its judgment giving a clean chit to the Modi government on acquiring 36 Rafale jet fighters in a ready-to-fly condition from French company Dassault Aviation.

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 the recall of the judgment has been filed by former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, journalist-turned-politician Arun Shourie and activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan, who had filed the original petitions, and others.

The bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice K.M. Joseph had on February 26 decided to hold an open court hearing of the pleas seeking the recall of its judgment on several grounds, including information that has come into public domain after its pronouncement.

The petitions by Sinha, Shourie, Bhushan, as well as advocate Manohar Lal Sharma and Aam Admi Party lawmaker Sanjay Singh are listed for open court hearing on March 6 before the bench of CJI Gogoi, Justice Kaul and Justice Joseph.

The bench, in its order on February 26, had said, "List the matters for hearing in open Court along with a plea for the initiation of perjury proceedings against officials allegedly for misleading the court and suppressing the information."

The plea for perjury proceedings against officials who had allegedly misled the court by giving false evidence and suppressing information has been moved by Sinha, Shourie and Bhushan, who had sought direction for identification of such officials.

The three had on January 2 had sought a recall of the verdict, contending that the court had "relied upon patently incorrect claims made by the government in an unsigned note given in a sealed cover".