The first batch of seven Indian pilots has also finished their training at a French airbase while the second batch would be going to France as soon as the lockdown measures are relaxed in both the countries.
Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria was the Deputy Chief of Air Staff at that time and headed the Indian negotiation team for the deal which is the biggest ever in monetary terms in India.
The aircraft were supposed to reach India by the end of May next month but now would be delayed by few weeks. The final delivery schedule would be known only after the lockdowns get over.
Going ahead in 2020, the Supreme Court is set to remain the centre stage of various high-stakes cases including the challenge to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the review petitions against its verdict in the Rafale deal on grounds that they lacked merit, reiterating its clean chit to the Modi government in the fighter jet agreement with French firm Dassault Aviation.
The Supreme Court accepted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's apology for wrongly attributing his infamous "chowkidar chor hai" remark in Rafale case to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opined that a person holding a place of importance in political spectrum should have been more careful.
. Chief Justice Gogoi was categorical that Gandhi had to either offer a clear-cut apology or face criminal contempt.
The apex court had then dismissed petitions seeking court-monitored probe into alleged irregularities in procurement of jets by asserting that there was "no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the deal".
Their petition states that the December 14 verdict contained several errors and it relied upon patently incorrect claims made by the government in an unsigned note given in a sealed cover to the court, which is a violation of the principle of natural justice.
Supreme Court to pronounce tomorrow its judgement on Rafale review petitions against its December 14, 2018 judgement upholding the 36 Rafale jets' deal.
