Unauthorised photocopies of Rafale documents adversely affect national security: Centre to SC

The MoD, in its detailed affidavit, stated that unauthorised photocopy of such documents has “adversely affected the sovereignty, security and friendly relations with the foreign countries.”

The petitioners are using unauthorisedly accessed documents with the intention to present a selective and incomplete picture of internal secret deliberations on a matter relating to National Security and Defence, the affidavit stated.

The Rafale review matter is listed Thursday for hearing before the Apex Court.

Earlier after claiming in the Supreme Court that the documents on the Rafale fighter jet deal had been stolen from the defence ministry, attorney-general K.K. Venugopal, going back on his word, last Friday claimed the papers were not stolen and what he meant to tell the apex court was that petitioners demanding a probe into the deal had used "photocopies of the original papers”, which have been deemed secret by the government.

The Hindu report on Rafale pointing finger at Modi government:

In its first report, The Hindu had claimed that the PMO (Prime Minister's Office) held parallel parleys with the French government prompting the Defence Ministry to object to the separate talks.

The Defence Ministry's objection was quoted by The Hindu, "We may advise PMO that any officers who are not part of Indian Negotiating Team may refrain from having parallel parlays [parleys] with the officers of French Government....in case the PMO is not confident about the outcome of negotiations being carried out by the MoD, a revised modality of negotiations to be led by PMO at appropriate level may be adopted in the case.”

The second report stated the Indian government made some unprecedented concessions to France in the Rafale deal.

Days before the signing of the deal, as the newspaper reported, India dropped provisions for anti-corruption penalties and making payments through an escrow account.

In the third report pointing a finger at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, The Hindu stated three Defence Ministry officials had arrived at a conclusion that the Rafale deal (buying of 36 fighter jets from France) made by the Narendra Modi government was not on "better terms" than the one made by the UPA government.

The three Defence Ministry officials, who were the domain experts on the seven-member Indian Negotiating Team (INT), also concluded that the delivery schedule of the first 18 of 36 jets in the new deal was slower than the original procurement process.

Under the Congress-led UPA government, which ruled the country from 2004 to 2014, India has signed a deal to buy 126 Rafale fighter jets.