Sunday, April 10 2005 14:08 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee today (Apr 10, 2005) clarified that no clean chit was given to George Fernandes in the case relating to alleged scam in the Defence purchases during the Kargil conflict.

''There was no question of giving clean chit to any person, much less Mr George Fernandes,'' Mukherjee told newsmen in Kolkata referring to the affidavit filed by the Defence Ministry before the Supreme Court.

He further said that the affidavit did not even refer to or mention any person. ''Therefore, the inference, which is ought to be drawn that a clean chit has been given to Fernandes is unjustified and totally unwarranted."

Mukherjee said that Defence ministry filed an affidavit in response to the order of the court in which it was merely clarified that the modified procedures were not in violation of the financial rules of the Government or the defence procurement procedures of 1992.

The validity or legality of the procedure was not in question but the question was whether the procedure was followed correctly or not, he explained.

"Therefore, how one can come to the conclusion that somebody has been given a clean chit or not simply because in the affidavit it was stated that there is no violation of the financial rules of the Defence procurement policy of 1992," Mukherjee said.

He further said that there was a change in procurement policy during the Kargil conflict, which took place between May to July 1999 but purchases were ordered even after August 1999, which is under scrutiny.

He said that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), in its 2001 report, made observations on 35 items and two of the cases have already been referred to the CBI. Similarly, the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) has also made some observations and three of those cases have been referred to CBI.