The United Progressive Alliance government has given a clean chit to former defence minister George Fernandes [Images] in the defence procurements made during the Kargil conflict.

In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the government said there was no violation of any financial rules of the government or the Defence Procurement Procedures, 1992.

The Centre said the modified procedures issued on June 21, 1999 were not to substitute or supercede the prescribed
procedures for normal procurement action.

The modified procedures were meant only to "telescope" the time frame, particularly for imports, that had become critical keeping in view the intensity of "Operation Vijay" and unpredictability of the situation on the period for which
the operation would last, it said.

The Supreme Court had issued a notice to the Centre to explain what steps it had taken after a Comptroller and Auditor General report referred to irregularities in the purchase of arms and ammunition and other material during and after the Kargil war in July 1999.