On Monday, the Nagpur district court sentenced former BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd engineer Nishant Agarwal to life imprisonment under the Official Secrets Act for espionage activities benefiting Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI. In addition to the life sentence, Agarwal received 14 years of rigorous imprisonment and was fined ₹3,000.
Court’s Decision
Additional Sessions Court Judge MV Deshpande, in the verdict, cited Agarwal’s conviction under section 235 of the Criminal Procedure Code for offences punishable under section 66 (f) of the IT Act and various sections of the Official Secrets Act (OSA). Special Public Prosecutor Jyoti Vajani stated, “The court sentenced Agarwal to life imprisonment and rigorous imprisonment for 14 years under the Official Secrets Act and fined him ₹3,000.”
Arrest and Charges
Agarwal, who worked in the technical research section of BrahMos Aerospace’s missile centre in Nagpur, was apprehended in 2018 during a joint operation by military intelligence and the Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. He was accused of leaking sensitive technical information to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and was subsequently booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the stringent Official Secrets Act.
Background
Nishant Agarwal had been employed at BrahMos Aerospace for four years before his arrest. BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s Military Industrial Consortium (NPO Mashinostroyenia).
Legal Proceedings
Last April, Agarwal was granted bail by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court. Despite the bail, the recent court decision has led to his conviction and sentencing for his involvement in espionage activities.