The Bombay High Court has rejected the bail plea of Nishant Agrawal, a former Senior System Engineer at BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd, who was convicted of espionage for Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI. The court emphasized that issues of national security hold far greater weight than even the most heinous crimes.
Agrawal, convicted of leaking sensitive information related to the BRAHMOS missile system, was arrested in 2018 during a joint operation by Military Intelligence and Anti-Terrorism Squads from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. He was charged under the Official Secrets Act, the Indian Penal Code, and the Information Technology Act.
The Court highlighted the gravity of the crime, stating that the implications of compromising national security surpass the severity of gruesome murders. The evidence presented in court included 19 classified files found on Agrawal’s personal laptop, with 16 marked as “secret” and 3 as “restricted.” It was revealed that he had been in contact with social media accounts linked to Islamabad, Pakistan, and had accepted a friend request from a dubious Facebook account without verifying the identity.
The forensic analysis showed that Agrawal’s laptop was compromised by malware capable of transmitting classified data to external servers. Despite the defense’s argument that Agrawal unintentionally downloaded the malware, the court found the evidence against him compelling.
The court concluded that suspending the sentence was not justified, given the seriousness of the crime. The ruling stated that there was no reasonable basis to believe Agrawal’s appeal would succeed, underscoring the court’s stance on protecting national security above all else.
