SC allows withdrawal of plea seeking fresh probe into Rafale deal

The Supreme Court has allowed the withdrawal of a plea seeking a fresh probe into the Rafale deal.

The Supreme Court has allowed the withdrawal of a plea seeking a fresh probe into the deal between India and France for the procurement of 36 Rafale jets.

The Public Interest litigation also sought registration of cases in view of reports of a French news portal allegedly revealing the payment of a bribe by Dassault Aviation to an Indian middleman.

During the hearing, a bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and S Ravindra Bhat said after going through the documents, the court was of the view that no case was made out for their intervention.

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“These issues have already been considered by a three-judge bench. These issues cannot be raised repeatedly,” the court said.

Even after the top court dismissed the petition, petitioner Sharma continued his arguments in front of CJI Justice Lalit for several minutes. Despite being stopped repeatedly, he did not agree.

Sharma, after a while, requested to withdraw the petition. The Supreme Court allowed petitioner ML Sharma to withdraw the petition.