Rafale review: SC permits MoD to file affidavit

New Delhi, Mar 13: The Supreme Court has allowed the Defence Ministry to file an affidavit in connection with the Rafale deal case.

The ministry had sought permission of the court to file the affidavit, following which it was granted.

The court it may be recalled is hearing a review plea against it order on the deal. The review was filed after the SC had given its thumbs up to the deal, while stating that there were no irregularities.

It may be recalled that attorney general K K Venugopal had said at an open court hearing that the "documents relied on by the petitioners in their review petitions were stolen from the ministry and should not be relied on".

"It's a criminal act on the part of petitioners to bring these documents with them. They have come with unclean hands," Venugopal had said. "Defence is the most important matter of state and national security. They have been illegally obtained and the source is not disclosed by the petitioners. It's a privileged document. These documents have made the cost of weapons public and has been taken from notes and has been put in the petition."

He however later clarified that the the documents were not stolen, but photo copied.