Documents in Rafale pleas sensitive to national security, Photocopy amounts to theft: Govt to SC

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, March 13: The central government has filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court in the Rafale deal case, saying that the documents attached in the review petitions are sensitive to national security.

The affidavit, filed by the ministry of defence, stated leakage of documents on the fighter jet deal from the ministry through photocopying amounted to theft. It claimed that the documents are sensitive to national security as they relate to war capacity of the combat aircraft.

"Those who’ve conspired in this leakage are guilty of penal offences including theft by unauthorized photocopying and leakage of sensitive official documents affecting National Security. These matters are now subject of an internal inquiry, which commenced on February 28," the affidavit stated.

The Supreme Court is hearing a bunch of review petitions against its verdict in the case, which dismissed the plea for a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry. The court will continue the hearing on Thursday.

On March 6, the Centre had vociferously opposed the review petitions and asked the SC to dismiss them as they were based on documents “stolen” from the ministry of defence.

However, the government made a U-turn two days later as the Attorney General KK Venugopal said the documents were not stolen, but the petitioners were using “photocopies of the original” papers.