The Centre has also argued that the documents presented a “selective and incomplete picture of internal secret deliberations” on a matter relating to national security and defence.
INDIA Updated: Mar 13, 2019 17:19 IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi
The widely-circulated review petition against the Supreme Court’s December verdict in the Rafale deal that includes leaked defence ministry jeopardizes national security and should be dismissed, the defence ministry has told the Supreme Court in an affidavit filed on Wednesday
The Centre has also argued that the documents presented a “selective and incomplete picture of internal secret deliberations” on a matter relating to national security and defence.
It reasoned that the petition should be dismissed and the documents removed from the top court’s records.
The government also claimed privilege over the documents presented under the evidence law for courts and insisted that the court could not take them into consideration without the government’s permission.
Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra told the top court that the petitioners had attached documents relating to war capacity of India’s combat jets. “This information is now available to our adversaries…This puts the national security in jeopardy,” the top defence ministry official said.
The government also told a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Rajnan Gogoi that an internal inquiry into the leaks had started.
The petitioners are guilty of leakage of sensitive information, which offends the terms of the agreements for purchase of the fighter jets, the government said. Additionally, those who have conspired in this leakage are guilty of penal offences under the Indian Penal Code including theft by unauthorized photocopying and leakage of sensitive official documents affecting national security.
Source: Hindustan Time
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