Case against former DRDO scientist transferred to special sessions court

Former DRDO scientist Dr. Pradeep Kurulkar's case for sharing defense secrets has moved to a special court after meeting Official Secrets Act requirements.

Pune: The case against former DRDO scientist Dr Pradeep Kurulkar, accused of sharing sensitive defence-related information with a suspected Pakistani handler, has been transferred to a special sessions court after complying with procedural requirements under the Official Secrets Act.

India successful test-fired its nuclear-capable missile Prithvi-II on Thursday. (Picture courtesy: DRDO official website)

With the legal formalities now completed, the trial will proceed before the special court.

Kurulkar, who is currently in custody, allegedly fell into a ‘honey trap’ and shared confidential national security information with a woman handler. The case was registered at Kalachowki police station, and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had earlier filed a nearly 2,000-page chargesheet, citing chat exchanges as evidence of the alleged information leak.

The case was initially placed before a Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court after it emerged that procedural requirements under Section 13 of the Official Secrets Act had not been fulfilled.

The defence, represented by advocates Rishikesh Ganu and Raghav Puranik, argued that prior sanction and filing before a competent magistrate were mandatory before cognisance could be taken.

Following compliance, the magistrate’s court has now committed the case to the special sessions court.

Kurulkar’s discharge plea is currently at the final hearing stage. The court is expected to take up the framing of charges once a decision on the plea is delivered.