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DRDO scientist honey trap case: ATS submits chargesheet, Kurulkar refuses polygraph test
The chargesheet mentions how Kurulkar passed on sensitive information to Pakistani agent operating in the name of Zara Dasgupta
PUNE
Barely two days before the stipulated period was to be over, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Friday submitted chargesheet against DRDO scientist Pradeep Kurulkar before a special court in Pune in connection with case of sharing information to Pakistani agent.
“The chargesheet runs into more than 1,000 pages where charges are specifically related to providing confidential defence and security related information to the Pakistan intelligence operative. The charges are pressed against the defence scientist under Section 3, 4 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act,” said special public prosecutor Vijay Fargade.
According to Fargade, the chargesheet mentions how Kurulkar passed on sensitive information to Pakistani agent operating in the name of Zara Dasgupta.
Kurulkar was arrested by the ATS on May 3 and the last date to file chargesheet is July 2.
Meanwhile, the special court of SR Navandar will pass its order on ATS application seeking its permission for conducting “polygraph” and “voice layer and psychological analysis” tests on Kurulkar on July 7.
Kurulkar has denied consent for conducting the test on him in the spying case. The ATS had submitted two applications before the court seeking Kurulkar’s consent for his two tests. Kurulkar’s counsel advocate Rhishikesh Ganu strongly opposed the ATS request before the court stating that tests were not required on grounds that the investigation agency was already in possession of his electronic devices and communication.
Ganu during his argument cited Supreme Court (SC) judgements and stated that forcing Kurulkar to undergo the tests would “violate his fundamental rights enshrined under articles 20 and 21 of the Constitution of India”.
The ATS earlier had told the court that the accused served as scientist ‘H’ between December 13, 2022, and February 24, 2023, and misused his official position and gave sensitive defence information to Pakistani intelligence operative (PIO).
The ATS investigation into the Kurulkar espionage case has revealed that the PIO who had contacted the senior DRDO scientist was also in touch with an Indian Air Force (IAF) official based in Bengaluru using the same internet protocol (IP) address traced to the neighbouring country.
A complaint was lodged against Kurulkar by the vigilance and security office of the DRDO in Delhi. Earlier, his two mobile phones and a personal laptop had been seized by the vigilance team and an internal inquiry had established that he made communication via social media, WhatsApp, voice messages and video calls with a PIO. A forensic analysis revealed his misconduct prompting ATS to file a case under Official Secrets Act 1923 against Kurulkar at Kalachowki unit of the ATS in Mumbai.
Till his arrest, Kurulkar had been officiating as head of the important defence security and research establishment R and DE (E) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The R and DE official website describes Kurulkar as an outstanding scientist who took over as director of Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) R&DE(E), a premier systems engineering laboratory of DRDO. As project leader and system manager for Akash Ground Systems, Kurulkar has been a key member of Akash team and played a major role in the design, development and production of Akash Launchers and mission-critical ground systems for the Indian defence sector.
