A special court in Pune on Thursday framed charges under the Official Secrets Act against a senior DRDO scientist, nearly three years after the anti-terrorism squad (ATS) filed a chargesheet against him on June 30, 2023, in an alleged honey trap and spying case. This development paves the way for the commencement of the trial in this high-profile case.
Charges Against the Scientist
The DRDO scientist faces charges of misusing his official position to leak classified information pertaining to national security to a Pakistani intelligence operative. The ATS arrested the scientist on May 3, 2023. At the time, he held a high position in one of the DRDO labs in Pune.
Court Proceedings
Special ATS Judge PY Ladekar posted the matter for the next hearing on June 20 for a procedure under Section 294 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). This section allows courts to admit documents into evidence without formal proof, provided their genuineness is not disputed by the opposing party.
“The trial will commence once this procedure is over,” special public prosecutor Ujjwala Pawar told TOI. “The crux of the charges framed relates to willful, wrongful and unauthorised communication of classified and incriminating information to suspected foreign entities, namely a Pakistani intelligence operative, which is prejudicial to the safety of a state and is likely to affect the sovereignty and integrity of India,” the prosecutor added.
Defence lawyer Rushikesh Ganu confirmed to TOI, “The court has framed the charges. We shall wait for the prosecution to take further steps for the hearing of the case.”
Reason for Delay
The delay in framing charges was primarily due to the pendency of the scientist’s plea seeking discharge from the case on grounds of legal technicalities and his attempts to secure bail. His bail plea was rejected by the Pune special court on December 7, 2023, and by the Bombay High Court on April 15, 2026.
“The special court rejected our client’s discharge plea on Thursday before proceeding with the framing of charges,” Ganu said.
Details of the Chargesheet
The ATS had filed the chargesheet for offences under sections 3 (penalties for spying), 5(1)(6)(a)(d) (wrongful communication of information), and 4 (communication with foreign agents to be evidence of commission of certain offences) of the Official Secrets Act.
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About the Author
Vishwas Kothari is a special correspondent at The Times of India, Pune. He covers news relating to the education and aviation sectors in Pune. Vishwas has a degree in Mass Communication from Nagpur University and participated in the US Government's International Visitors' (IV) Fellowship Programme on 'Urban Environmental Issues' in 2005. He writes on crime, courts and legal jurisprudence, defence and corporate affairs. He loves sports and movies and enjoys infotainment magazines.
