Rafale verdict: BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi moves SC, accuses Rahul Gandhi of contempt of court
She said the Congress president attributed his remarks on the Rafale jet deal verdict to the top court.
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Meenakshi Lekhi on Friday moved the Supreme Court accusing Congress President Rahul Gandhi of contempt of court. Lekhi said Gandhi attributed his remarks on the Rafale jet deal verdict to the top court.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi told the bench that Congress president made a remark that the “Supreme Court has said chowkidaar chor hai” in the verdict. Lekhi said Gandhi tried to create prejudice. The court will hear Lekhi’s plea on Monday.
On Wednesday, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the Centre’s objections to the review petitions seeking an inquiry into the Rafale fighter jet deal. In March, the government had asked for the review pleas to be dismissed, claiming they were based on “secret files” accessed from the Defence Ministry. The judges said the pleas would be heard on the basis of their merit.
Welcoming the top court’s order, Rahul Gandhi had said, “The entire country is saying that chowkidar has committed theft. It is a day of celebration that the Supreme Court has talked about justice”. Soon after, Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman accused Gandhi of making comments that verge on contempt of court’s order.