The sources said the two notices issued in February 1997 against Quattrocchi, alleged to have received over seven million dollars as kickbacks in the controversial deal, would now be reactivated.The notices had been issued by the Interpol secretariat against Quattrocchi, who is currently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, they said.

The CBI had sent a high-level team to Kuala Lumpur in 1997 to secure his arrest but failed to bring him to India in the absence of an extradition pact with Malaysia. A chargesheet has also been filed against the Italian businessman by the CBI in the court of the special judge here.

Quattrrocchi, in a statement from Kuala Lumpur last month, had refused to appear before thetrial court saying his lawyer wrongly conveyed his willingness in this regard.

The Supreme Court today dismissed Quattrocchi's special leave petition on merit while upholding the arrest warrant issued against him in 1997 by the trial court for his alleged role in the Rs 1,437 crore Bofors gun deal signed in 1986 during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure as prime minister.

"We firmly disapprove the manner in which petitioner Ottavio Quattrocchi has conducted himself," observed a Division Bench comprising Justices G T Nanavati and S P Kurdukar when Attorney General Soli Sorabjee pointed out that the accused failed to honour his word before the apex court to appear before the trial court on March 15.

Sorabjee did not press for initiation of contempt proceedings against the Italian businessman in view of the adverse remarks passed by the court against him.

The court recalled its February 22 order allowing Quattrocchi to appear before the trial court on March 15 and asking him to make himself available to the CBI fortwo weeks for the purpose of interrogation. The court had directed CBI not to arrest Quattrocchi during his visit to India and had allowed him to go back after completion of the interrogation.

Sorabjee beginning the arguments, said "just because he is a foreigner, this is no way he can control the proceedings of the court through a remote control."

Referring to his recent interview in a newsmagazine, the Attorney General said Quattrocchi had no business to comment on the merit of the case when his special leave petition was pending in the apex court.

Quattrrocchi, in a statement from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia on February 24, had refused to appear before the trial court saying his lawyer wrongly conveyed his willingness in this regard.

The Bench, in a brief proceeding, dismissed Quattrocchi's special leave petition (SLP) on merit while upholding the arrest warrant issued against him in 1997 by the trial court for his alleged role in the Rs 1,437 crore Bofors gun deal signed in 1986 during the primeministership of Rajiv Gandhi.Counsel for Quattrocchi, senior advocates Rajinder Singh and Dinesh Mathur, who had argued the case forcefully challenging the validity of the arrest warrant, on Friday had no arguments or clarifications to give.

The Bench, strongly disapproving the approach of Quattrocchi, dismissed the petition on merits and said there was no question of modifying the order as it stood recalled.