Rafale deal: This is different war room and you go to your war rooms
SC after interaction with IAF officers
New Delhi, Nov 14: "This is a different kind of war room and you all can go to your war rooms", said the Supreme Court Wednesday after interacting with senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officers in the case pertaining to import of Rafale fighter jets from France.
Top IAF officers -- Air Vice Marshall J Chalapati, Air Marshal Anil Khosla and Deputy Chief of Air staff, Air Marshal V R Chaudhari -- had to rush to the apex court at a short notice after a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said that it wished to interact with IAF officers as the controversy over Rafale fighter jets deal concerns them.
The issue has become a political battlefield with Congress levelling various allegations against the Modi government on the deal.
The Supreme Court Wednesday commenced its crucial hearing on pleas seeking a court-monitored probe into the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.
"We are dealing with the requirements of the Air Force and would like to ask an Air Force officer. We want to hear from an Air force officer and not the official of the Defence Ministry on the issue," the bench said when the Attorney General K K Venugopal began his arguments on behalf of the Centre in the pre-lunch session.
Chalapathi, who appeared before the bench also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K M Joseph, answered the questions asked by the CJI about the induction of fighter jets by India and said the fifth generation aircraft have niche stealth technology and the electronic warfare capabilities are very very enhanced.
The CJI asked Chalapathi the first question as "What is the latest induction to IAF?"
Chalapathi replied that its Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft which is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at Nashik in Maharashtra and Bangalore in Karnataka.
He said that IAF is getting new Su-30MKI aircrafts each year.
The CJI then asked Chalapati that besides Su-30MKI, which aircraft are being manufactured in India.
The officer said that he himself is a pilot and has special liking for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) being built in Bangalore but is yet to be inducted into IAF.
The CJI also asked the officer which generation aircraft is LCA and Su-30MKI.
Chalapathi said there is no clear definition of generation and as he has flied the LCA which according to him is three and half generation aircraft.
He said both LCA and Su-30MKI are three and half and fourth generation aircrafts respectively but the requirement of IAF at present is of four plus or fifth generations aircrafts.
The CJI asked does it mean that IAF currently requires few squadrons of fourth and fifth generation aircrafts.
Chalapathi replied in affirmative and said, "the fifth generation aircraft have niche stealth technology and the electronic warfare capabilities are very very enhanced".
The CJI Gogoi then asked Chalapati was there any induction made in IAF after Mirage in 1985.
The officer replied in negative which led CJI to observe: "It means since 1985 to 2018 there is zero induction".
The CJI said it is all that they wanted to know from the officials and later asked them to go back to their offices after nearly half an hour saying, "Air Marshals can now leave. This is a different kind of war room and you all can go to your war rooms. Thank You".
The bench then continued with the arguments on the validity of Rafale jets deal.
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Kolhapur’s Saee Jadhav becomes first woman Territorial Army officer to pass out of IMA
Pune (PTI): Saee Jadhav from Maharashtra’s Kolhapur has become the first woman Territorial Army officer to complete pre-commissioning training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, breaking the institution’s 93-year-old tradition of male-only officer training.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated her and said her achievement is an inspiring milestone that gives direction to the dreams of countless young girls across the country.
Jadhav, 23, was commissioned as a Lieutenant during the Passing Out Parade of the 157th course held last week, marking a historic milestone for the IMA, which was established in 1932 and has since produced generations of Army officers.
She was commissioned into the services on December 13 during the commissioning ceremony at IMA, Dehradun.
Speaking to PTI, Saee’s father Sandip Jadhav, a serving major with the Territorial Army, said that Saee has been commissioned into the 130 Territorial Army (ecological ) battalion of Kumaon Regiment at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand.
Saee is currently pursuing her MBA through distance learning, he said.
“While pursuing her MBA, she was also preparing for competitive exams and TA (Territorial Army). She appeared for the exam in December 2023. There was only one vacancy for a woman officer in TA and since her rank was at the top in merit, she was selected,” said Major Jadhav.
“She is now commissioned into 130 Infantry Battalion (TA) of Kumaon Regiment at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand,” he said.
Jadhav said her daughter was inclined to join the armed forces, given the family’s armed forces background. “As parents, we feel proud that our daughter followed her dream and chose to serve the nation,” he added.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also congratulated “Marathi Mulgi” Saee.
“She has created history by becoming first woman officer cadet to pass out of IMA in 93 years… It is a matter of immense pride that this honour has gone to a Marathi Mulgi!,” he wrote in a post on X.
“This is not just an individual success story, but an inspiring milestone that gives direction to the dreams of countless young girls across the country. Educated and brought up in Belgaum and originally from Kolhapur, Sai represents the 4th generation of the Jadhav family to carry forward the legacy of service to the nation,” he added.
