Four to face trial for selling secret docs abroad 25 yrs ago

Twenty five years after a father- son duo and two others were caught by the CBI for trying to send secret defence reports to foreign companies, a Delhi court has allowed the CBI to go ahead with their criminal prosecution.

Special CBI judge Pradeep Chaddah said there is a prima facie case against the accused to prosecute them under various provisions of the Official Secrets Act and allowed framing of charges against them.

"I hold that there does exist sufficient prima facie case against accused under section 120-B IPC (criminal conspiracy) and under section 3 and 5 (spying and wrongful communication) of Official Secrets Act. Let charge be framed accordingly," the court said.

The case was registered by the CBI on April 17, 1987 after a complaint was received by it from a courier company that certain secret documents relating to the defence matters were being dispatched by the accused.

Courier company Trident Express made the complaint to the CBI that two packets were picked up for dispatch from a Central-Delhi based firm called M/s Willian Jacks, run by father-son duo and accused Krishan Kumar Jaojidia and Aditya Kumar Jajodia.

On opening the packet, the CBI officials found that secret information pertaining to trial report on battlefield Surveillance Radar of Indian Army were being sent to Marc De Saint Dennis, M/s Coprint, Paris.

The other packet was addressed to J W H Weavers of Netherlands and contained draft letters with details of radar, flycatchers for detection and tracking of low level enemy aircraft.

Jajodias, as per the CBI, were engaged in procuring secret reports on trial and recommendations of equipment to be inducted in Indian army and dispatch it to foreign nations.

It was found that they were close to two Central government employees and co-accused Dr N W Nerukar and R C Deol.

Nerurkar was working as an adviser in Department of Electronics of the government of India while Deol was working as a brigadier in the directorate of weapons and equipment, Army headquarters here.

Deol had allegedly handed over to Jajodias the trial report on battlefield radar prepared by army authorities at school of artillery, Deolali under the instructions of the army headquarters containing recommendation on equipment to be inducted in the army. The report was classified secret.

In the deptt of electronics, Nerukar was supervising the work relating to the medium range radar and retained with him a copy of report relating to acquisition of various defence equipment at the instance of Jajodias.

"On face of it, it would indicate that both father and son were engaged in despatching/selling documents pertaining to the security of the nation," the court said.

While giving a go-ahead for prosecution of Jajodias, Nerurkar and Deol, the court discharged accused Venugopalan holding that he was just an employee of Jajodias and they would not have shared their ill-gotten gains with him.