New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday commenced its crucial hearing on pleas seeking court-monitored probe into the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph is likely to peruse the pricing details submitted by the government in a sealed cover.

The initial arguments are being commenced by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, who told the court that the Inter-Government Agreement was "illegal" and sought an investigation in the matter.

Besides Sharma, another lawyer Vineet Dhanda has also filed a plea in the matter.

Later, AAP MP Sanjay Singh had also filed a petition.

Former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan also filed a joint petition.

Prashant Bhushan made his submissions, saying that three issues have been flagged - procedure, offset and pricing.

The hearing is currently underway at the top court.