Rafale documents not stolen, petitioners used photocopies: Attorney General

 SMTV Desk 2019-03-09 13:06:58  Attorney General, K K Venugopal, Rafale documents
 Rafale documents not stolen, petitioners used photocopies:  Attorney General

New Delhi, Mar 9: Attorney General K K Venugopal claimed the Rafale documents were not stolen from the defense ministry and that what he meant in his submission before the Supreme Court was that petitioners in the application used "photocopies of the original" papers, deemed secret by the government.




His comments in the apex court on Wednesday that Rafale fighter jet deal documents were stolen caused a political row, with Congress president Rahul Gandhi targeting the government over stealing of such sensitive papers and seeking a criminal investigation.

"I am told that the opposition has alleged what was argued (in SC) was that files had been stolen from the defense ministry. This is wholly incorrect. The statement that files have been stolen is wholly incorrect," he said, in an apparent damage-control exercise.

Venugopal said the application filed by Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie, and Prashant Bhushan, seeking from the court a review of its verdict dismissing pleas for a probe into against the Rafale deal, had annexed three documents which were photocopies of the original.

Official sources said the AG's use of word stolen was probably "stronger" and could have been avoided.