Rafale Verdict Out: SC dismisses review petition, no CBI probe

New Delhi: The Rafale deal verdict has been pronounced today following the Sabarimala verdict by CJI Ranjan Gogoi. It ruled that the review petition be dismissed.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court rejected pleas last year seeking a court-monitored probe into the controversial Rafale deal. Several pleas were later filed asking the Supreme Court to review its decision. The SC has now ruled that the petitions be dismissed. No CBI probe will be done in connection to the case.

CJI Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph have delivered the verdict.

Additionally, Rahul Gandhi has been let off with a warning, saying he should be more careful from next time. No court should be dragged into political discourse. No contempt proceedings will be taken forward said the bench.

The Rafale deal refers to a government-to-government agreement signed between India and France to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets from the French aerospace giant Dassault. PM Narendra Modi signed the deal during his first term in office.

Controversy brewed when over allegations surfaced about the Modi government bypassing established norms of acquisition to sign the deal. It was said that industrialist Anil Ambani received undue favours under the deal.

In December, the SC said it had not seen any evidence that could raise doubts over the government's decision-making process and so, it ruled to dismiss the pleas seeking a court-monitored probe into the deal.

During the time, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi made the remark 'chowkidar chor hai' referring to PM Modi who had in the past referred to himself as the country's "chowkidar" (watchman). BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi filed a contempt case against Rahul Gandhi for this.

During the hearings, Rahul Gandhi tendered an unconditional apology for wrongly attributing the 'chowkidar chor hai' remark to the court. Gandhi told the court he held it in the "highest esteem and respect" and any attributions to it were "entirely unintentional, non-wilful and inadvertent".