Jet-Etihad deal: SC to hear final hearing from May 7

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The Supreme Court today fixed May 7 for final hearing on a plea filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy challenging the Jet-Etihad deal. A bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu posted the matter for final hearing next month on Swamy's petition seeking to quash the deal on the ground that it was against public interest as there has been squandering of natural resource, that is the sky and airspace. Swamy had told the court on January 21 that the government has furnished him copies of letters concerning Jet- Etihad deal, allegedly written by Indian officials favouring grant of additional air traffic rights to the UAE airline.On this, the apex court had asked the BJP leader to file a rejoinder within eight weeks on the contents of documents. The apex court had on December 6, 2013 made it clear that it would quash the Jet-Etihad Airways deal if any irregularities were found in it. It had issued notice to Centre and Income Tax Department on the plea seeking direction to the government to place the transcript of tapped telephonic conversation of Radia in which she allegedly had talked about the civil aviation sector.Swamy had sought direction from the apex court to furnish copies of certain letters which, in his opinion, were essential for adjudication of the petition. Government supplied him with letters, including one written on April 5, 2013 by then Commerce Minister Anand Sharma to Sheikh Hamad Bin Zayed Al Nehayan, a member of royal family and Chairman of Crown Prince Court of Emirates of Abu Dhabi. He was also given an April 9, 2013, letter of then External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid to the UAE Foreign Minister and two letters dated April 15 and 21, 2013, written by M K Lokesh, then Indian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.Referring to the Radia tapes, Swamy, in his application, had said the documents were 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 the conversation.