SC says no to probe on Rafale deal: Who said what

The SC rejected all petitions seeking an investigation into the Rafale fighter jet deal on Friday.

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected all petitions seeking an investigation into the Rafale fighter jet deal with France`s Dassault Aviation. Stating that there was no evidence of wrongdoing, the top court added that there will be no special investigation team (SIT) to probe the deal.

“The verdict cannot be based on the belief of some people,” said the SC Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre's deal for the purchase of 36 Rafale jet became a major point of political controversy after the Congress-led Opposition levied corruption and other allegations including the decision to pick Anil Ambani`s Reliance Defence for the deal.

The Supreme Court has also said that it is not its job to get into the issue of pricing or interference in the choice of offset partner. Immediately after the SC ruling, BJP members demanded that the Congress and its chief Rahul Gandhi should apologise. Amid loud sloganeering, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the Lok Sabha House till noon. 

Here's how leaders reacted to the judgement:

# Rahul Gandhi must apologise, reveal his source of information: Amit Shah on Rafale. Read more here

# "Supreme Court has said nothing wrong, deciding on pricing is not the Supreme Court's job but similarly deciding on building Ram Temple is also not their job. Rafale Deal issue will be sorted out in Parliament and not in SC," Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena.

# "The verdict of the Supreme Court today is a validation of what the Congress party stated months again, that SC is not the forum to decide such sensitive defence contract. Article 136&32 are not the forum to decide the issue, the pricing, the process, the sovereign guarantee and the corruption in the Rafale contract. Only forum and only media is a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) which can probe the entire corruption in Rafale Deal," said Congress leader Randeep Surjewala.

Randeep Surjewala: Article 136&32 are not the forum to decide the issue, the pricing, the process, the sovereign guarantee&the corruption in the Rafale contract.Only forum&only media is a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) which can probe the entire corruption in #RafaleDeal. https://t.co/AFYBGKCVHe — ANI (@ANI) December 14, 2018

# BJP president Amit Shah tweeted, "Truth always triumphs! Court’s judgment on the Rafale deal exposes the campaign of misinformation spearheaded by Congress President for political gains. The court didn’t find anything wrong with the process nor did it find any commercial favouritism in the deal. #SCNailsRaGaLies.

"On the contrary SC held that govt had no role in selecting offset partners & found no merit in the demand for a probe based on mere perception of individuals. It therefore raises obvious questions on the motive of those working to discredit the deal, which is important for India."

Truth always triumphs! Court’s judgment on the Rafale deal exposes the campaign of misinformation spearheaded by Congress President for political gains. The court didn’t find anything wrong with the process nor did it find any commercial favouritism in the deal. #SCNailsRaGaLies — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 14, 2018

On the contrary SC held that govt had no role in selecting offset partners & found no merit in the demand for a probe based on mere perception of individuals. It therefore raises obvious questions on the motive of those working to discredit the deal, which is important for India. — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 14, 2018

#Reacting to the development, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, “The matter was crystal clear from the beginning and we have been saying that the allegations levelled by Congress were baseless and to gain political mileage.”

# “RafaleVerdict: SupremeCourt, in a UNANIMOUS judgment, SC dismisses ANY probe into the #RafaleDeal and vindicates the Govt's stand. NO FAVORITISM. NO REASON FOR THE COURT TO INTERVENE. सत्यमेव जयते! #SCNailsRaGaLies,” tweeted Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore.

#RafaleVerdict#SupremeCourt, in a UNANIMOUS judgment, SC dismisses ANY probe into the #RafaleDeal and vindicates the Govt's stand.

NO FAVORITISM.

NO REASON FOR THE COURT TO INTERVENE.

सत्यमेव जयते! #SCNailsRaGaLies — Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) December 14, 2018

Anil D Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Group said, "I welcome the judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court today, summarily dismissing all PILs filed on the Rafale contracts and conclusively establishing the complete falsity of the wild, baseless and politically-motivated allegations levelled against Reliance Group and me personally.

"We remain committed to India's national security and to making our humble contribution towards the 'Make in India' and 'Skill India' policies of the Government in the critical area of defence, including our offset partnership agreement with our valued partner, Dassault Aviation of France."