SC: Modi made 1st respondent in Rafale case

Prime Minister Modi has been made the first respondent, not as the PM but in person as Narendra Damodardas Modi, in the criminal writ petition topping four petitions on the Rafale deal being heard by the Supreme Court.

Delhi lawyer Manohar Lal Sharma, known for filing any number of PILs (public interest litigations) in the Apex Court, is the petitioner in person in the first writ petition No 225 of 2018.

The Court had initially preferred not to go into the intricacies of the price, which is at the centre of the controversy, while seeking details of the decision-making process. The controversy arose because of the government refusing to disclose the price leading to the Congress and other parties suspecting the purchase at much higher price than what was settled by the previous UPA government.

In a 4-page order issued on Wednesday, the 3-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said: "The Court would also like to be apprised of the details with regard to the pricing/cost, particularly, the advantage thereof, if any, in a sealed cover."

The pricing issue was very much before the Court also on October 10 when it sought details of the steps on the decision making process leading to the award of 36 jet fighters, but it had made it clear to the government in that order that it "would not cover the issue of pricing or technical suitability of the aircraft."