HC reserves verdict on bail plea of ex-DRDO director in honey-trap espionage case

After hearing arguments from both sides, a single-judge bench of Justice Shivkumar Dige said the matter was reserved for orders and the ruling would be pronounced in due course

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Monday reserved its verdict on the bail application of former Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist Pradeep Kurulkar, who has been arrested on charges of sharing sensitive information with an alleged Pakistani intelligence operative.

HC reserves verdict on bail plea of ex-DRDO director in honey-trap espionage case

After hearing arguments from both sides, a single-judge bench of Justice Shivkumar Dige said the matter was reserved for orders and the ruling would be pronounced in due course.

Kurulkar, 60, was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on May 3, 2023, in a suspected honey-trap espionage case following a complaint lodged by the defence research establishment.

According to the ATS charge sheet, investigators recovered what they described as “explosive” chats between the scientist and a woman alleged to be linked to Pakistani intelligence. At the time of the alleged exchanges, Kurulkar was serving as director (research and development) at DRDO.

The agency has alleged that Kurulkar shared confidential information with the woman in an attempt to cultivate an intimate relationship with her.

Investigators claim that the suspected operative used multiple fake identities to interact with him online. Among the names used were Zara Dasgupta and Juhi Arora. The operative allegedly created accounts under these identities on messaging platforms using two separate phone numbers, both bearing the +44 United Kingdom country code.

According to the ATS, Kurulkar discussed details related to several strategic defence systems during these exchanges. The charge sheet states that he spoke about the Meteor missile project under development at DRDO as well as the BrahMos, Rafale-linked weapon systems, Akash and Astra missile programmes, and the Agni-6 missile launcher project in which he was involved.

The prosecution has argued that the conversations involved sensitive defence information, while Kurulkar’s defence has sought bail during the course of the trial.

The high court is now expected to decide whether the former DRDO scientist will be granted bail while the case proceeds.