The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought Centre's response within four weeks on pleas by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking Cabinet note concerning Jet-Etihad Airways deal and copy of the transcript of tapped telephonic conversation of former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia in which she had allegedly talked about civil aviation sector. A bench comprising justices H L Dattu and S A Bobde asked Additional Solicitor General L Nageshwar Rao who accepted the notice on behalf of the Centre to file response on Swamy's application.
The bench also asked the Centre to respond to Swamy's plea seeking copy of communication of April 9, 2013 of Ministry of External Affairs to Ambassador of United Arab Emirates on the issue. Swamy has filed petition seeking to quash the deal on the ground that it was against public interest as there has been squandering of natural resource i.e. the sky and air space.
The apex court on December 6, 2013 had made it clear that it would quash the Jet-Etihad Airways deal if there are any irregularities in it. It had issued notice to Centre and Income Tax Department on his plea seeking direction to the government to place the transcript of tapped telephonic conversation of Radia in which she allegedly had talked about civil aviation sector.
Referring to Radia tapes, Swamy, in his application, had said the documents are important for adjudication of the case and the apex court had already ordered CBI probe in the alleged involvement of middlemen in aviation sector which was revealed in conversation.
"One of the issues, namely issue no. 7 deals with the touts and middlemen kickbacks arising from the Bilateral Agreements between India and foreign countries in civil aviation sector," he had said, adding that "the documents are material to the adjudication of the grounds raised by him in the petition". Swamy, in his plea, also referred that the memo sent by the PMO to Ministry of Civil Aviation on May 22, 2013 had raised serious reservations in respect of the growth of the middle eastern carriers including Etihad, the development of middle eastern hubs for servicing traffic from India at the cost and expense of Indian carriers as well as domestic hubs.
"The said Memo by the Prime Minister's Office clearly supports the grounds raised by the petitioner in the present petition," he said.
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