SC vacates stay against defamation cases in Scorpene deal

New Delhi, Apr 2 (UNI) The Supreme Court today cleared the decks for resumption of hearing of suits for damages against Outlook Publishing (I)Pvt. Ltd. and others for publishing defamatory articles in the magazine against the plaintiffs alleging their involvement in Rs. 1600 crore Scorpene submarine deal scandal.

A bench comprising Justices B N Agrawal and P P Naolekar also ordered the transfer of another case pending in Calcutta high court to Delhi high court filed by Ms. Gwendolyn Berger and others seeking damages of Rs, five crores from the defendants including "Outlook Magazine." In all, there are now five suits for damages pending in the high court and the apex court today also vacated the interim stay granted last year against the proceedings pending in the high court.

Outlook had filed transfer petition in the apex court seeking transfer of the suit pending in Calcutta high court to Delhi for trial with four other similar suits pending in the high court of Delhi. The Magazine had named two senior retired naval officers namely Ravi Shankaran, a relative of former Navy chief, and Kulbhushan and two officers of M/s Thales and one conduit Abhishek Verma and Ms. Berger for their alleged involvement in the deal alleging huge kickbacks have been paid to middlemen in the deal struck with France despite ban on the use of middlemen in defence deals.

A PIL was also filed in Delhi high court seeking court monitored investigation by the CBI into the scandal as kickbacks running into several crores have been paid.

The suitors in the high court who are seeking damages of about Rs. 25 crores have alleged that they have been defamed as they were not involved in the deal.IB had also carried out investigation in War Room Leak case. Mr Rana Mukherjee appeared for Ms Berger in the apex court today.

UNI