Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal referred to the recent face-off between India and Pakistan to press the need for more air power in the form of the Rafale.
“Recently, we have seen how vulnerable we are. Some F-16s came to bomb us,” he submitted before a Bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, which is hearing review petitions against the December 14 judgment.
To this, Justice K.M. Joseph referred to reports about the dog fight between the Pakistani F-16s and the Indian MiG-21 Bison jets. He pointed to how an F-16 was shot down by the MiG-21.
Mr. Venugopal said the first delivery would start in September 2019. He said flaws in the deal were being pointed out when urgent steps were being taken to ensure the safety of the nation. He advocated judicial restraint.