New Delhi: The Supreme Court has begun hearing on the review petitions over its earlier verdict on the Rafale deal.

Attorney General K K Venugopal accused an English daily of stealing confidential government from the ministry. The newspaper used documents selectively. These documents are not admissible and having such files is an offence, the AG also said. The government is planning on launching a prosecution, he also said.

The AG said that an offence had been made out under the Official Secrets Act and hence the review be dismissed. Advocate Prashant Bhushan said that the Right to Information Act overrides the Official Secrets Act.

Earlier, advocate Prashant Bhushan told the court that he had filed a supplementary affidavit. It has a reference to the articles published in an English daily. The court however said it would not look into supplementary affidavits, You proceed on the grounds, the court also said.

The court, in its verdict earlier, had refused to order a probe into the deal on the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and comprising Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice KM Joseph will hear the review petitions in the open court.

The court allows for review of its own judgement only when it notices some errors, or if there are violations of the principles of natural justice.

In its December 14 order, the Supreme Court had dismissed petitions seeking a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the Rafale deal signed two years back, alleging irregularities and corruption in the pact.

The court had said that it does not find any substantial material on record to show that this is a case of commercial favouritism to any party by the Government of India.

On January 2, petitioners in Rafale fighter jet deal case - Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie, both former Union Ministers, and advocate Prashant Bhushan had moved the Supreme Court for review of its Rafale judgement of December 14.