HC to hear 25-year-old espionage case

A man and his son, who were caught by the CBI 25 years ago for trying to send secret defence reports to foreign companies, face prosecution now after a Delhi court allowed the investigating agency to frame charges under provisions of the Official Secrets Act.

Special CBI judge Pradeep Chaddah said there is prima facie evidence against the two accused.

The Centarl Bureau of Investigation filed a case on April 17, 1987 after it got a complaint from a courier company that certain secret documents related to defence matters were being dispatched by the accused.

The courier company, Trident Express, told CBI that two packets were picked up for dispatch from Delhi-based firm Willian Jacks. It was run by Krishan Kumar Jaojidia and Aditya Kumar Jajodia.

On opening the packet, CBI officials found that information about the army’s battlefield surveillance radar was being sent to Marc De Saint Dennis in Paris.

Another packet was addressed to JWH Weavers of Netherlands and contained draft letters with details ofa  radar to detect low-level enemy aircraft.

According to CBI, the Jajodias were engaged in buying and selling secret reports of equipment to be inducted in the army.

The father and son were also close to two Union government officials N W Nerukar and R C Deol. Nerurkar was working as adviser to the Department of Electronics under the Centre, and Deol was a Brigadier in the Directorate of Weapons and Equipment.

Deol allegedly handed over the reports on battlefield radars prepared by army officials at Deolali-based School of Artillery to the Jaojidias. The reports were classified secret.

Nerukar, who was supervising work on a medium-range radar, kept a copy of a report on acquisition of defence equipment at the instance of the Jajodias.

“The father and son were engaged in selling documents that may compromise national security,” said the court.

Nerurkar and Deol also face prosecution.