In a dramatic conclusion to a high-stakes espionage case, the District Court in Nagpur handed a life imprisonment sentence to a former BrahMos Aerospace engineer, convicted of leaking classified information to Pakistan’s ISI.
District and Additional Sessions Judge MV Deshpande presided over the case, where it was revealed that the engineer had been under arrest since 2018. The charges brought against him included violations of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, the Penal Code, 1860, and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Investigations unearthed a trove of sensitive data on the engineer’s personal devices. Over 4,47,734 cache files, containing secret and restricted records, were found on his laptop and hard disk. The use of specialized software facilitated the transfer of this critical information to foreign entities and antisocial elements.
After spending over four and a half years in jail, the accused was granted bail by the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court on April 3, 2024. Despite this temporary reprieve, the weight of evidence presented led to his eventual life sentence, marking a stern warning against breaches of national security.
This case underscores the serious consequences of espionage and highlights the vigilance of the Indian judicial system in protecting national interests.
