SC refuses to interfere in VVIP chopper scam

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a PIL seeking apex-court monitored probe by a special investigation team or CVC into the alleged kickbacks in the Rs3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal.

"It is not a correct forum," a Bench comprising justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash said while dismissing the PIL filed by ML Sharma.

It had also asked for a direction to the Defence Ministry to scrap the contract with Italian company Finmeccanica for the supply of 12 AW101 helicopters. Finmeccanica's subsidiary AgustaWestland manufactures the choppers, three of which have been delivered to India to ferry VVIPs.

The petition had alleged that despite information available since 2011, no FIR was lodged against Indian citizens allegedly involved in the deal.

The PIL was filed after Defence Minister A K Antony had ordered a CBI probe into the allegations of payment of bribes to clinch the deal.

A Joint Parliamentary Committee will probe the controversial chopper deal, with the government asserting that there will be "no cover up" as it was determined to go to the root of the scam and give maximum punishment to the guilty.

Besides the former Air Chief SP Tyagi, his three cousins, former CEOs of Finmeccanica and AgustaWestland and five others have been named as accused in the case. Finmeccanica, AgustaWestland and Indian companies IDS Infotech and Aeromatrix have also been named in the case.