What is the truth behind the "Kargil Coffin Scam" and whether there was a real misdealing at works? We have tried to dissect the whole episode in this following thread on how political mileage was achieved on a scam when no real scam was at work............ 
The "scam" had its origins not in Kargil but in Somalia: 7 Indian doctors were martyred in Burleego in an unprovoked mortar attack. To perform the autopsies Lt.Col. Danish and US-based private person Victor Baiza were called in. They were tasked to send the remains back to India
The term used to refer the "scam" as Coffin was a misnomer as Caskets were actually used which were US Army Standard Issue Aluminium Caskets. India at that time was using wooden-cardboard boxes which were not fit for long distance travels as body already starts decomposing.
Victor Baize sent the bodies to India with a note that it would cost $2000 if Indian Govt. chooses to keep the bodies. Brig. M.P. Bhagat commended Victor for the job and got a Letter of Appreciation as well as a renewed interest in his caskets.
He received orders from MoD but what MoD forgot was he was just a mortician and did not manufactured the caskets. He had a palour in Texas and started a company Buitron and Baiza Casket and Funeral Suppliers proposing a price of $2500 per casket which was not accepted by Govt.
Through negotiatons and undergoing sanctions and when Victor visited India in 1999 during the Kargil mayhem he gave a price of $2663. MoD finally relented and signed a $1.5 million deal of 500 caskets and 3000 body bags. But sadly the first assignment arrived only by Feb,2000
Faults began to arise in the deal. The caskets were found to be overweight almost three folds. Victor told that he was referring to a 18-gauge casket not a 18-kg casket. Since Indian bureaucracy was not satisfied the entire deal was struck off without consulting Army.
CAG gave up a report up in 2001 where NDA govt was accused of a scam with primary culprits being PM Vajpayee and DM George Fernandes. However the 5 crore purchase order never came up to DM's desk or that Indo-US officials had declared $2768 as the base price per casket
In 2006 CBI registered the case, a charge sheet was filed in 2009 against three Army Officers but in 2013 all were acquitted with clean chit lying to rest all allegations of 'scam' being raised. CAG claimed that each casket would have cost some ~$170.
However $170 was just a rental price and any aluminium casket would have costed upto $3000. The entire mileage was gained by Congress Party and Sonia Gandhi who cried foul and played with Indian sentiments. Sonia Gandhi led the charge with her “kafan chor” call.
Even now history repeats itself with Rafale being used as a political mileage to re-ignite someone's politicallly failed career giving out crocodile tears for a PSU claimed as Strategic Asset when these same regimes earlier literaly castrated it to oblivion.
