Court refuses bail for 'spy' Madhuri

Chief metropolitan magistrate Kaveri Baweja dismissed the bail plea, saying that the charges against her were of nature.

In the application, Gupta submitted that she was no more required for the purpose of investigation. She also claimed that there was no likelihood of her absconding from the process of law as she is a permanent resident of Delhi.

Her advocate Joginder Dahiya referred to a statement made by Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur on April 29 in Parliament and said that she was posted in the information wing of the mission and had no access to any classified documents.
Dahiya also submitted that Gupta was a chronic patient of blood pressure and had high sugar level.

Additional public prosecutor Rita Sharma opposed the bail application on the grounds that some officials were yet to be examined by the investigators with regard to the case registered against her.

Gupta, a second secretary with the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, was arrested on April 23 after being called to the Capital by the Ministry of External Affairs on the pretext of holding discussions with her on matters related to the XVIth SAARC Summit in Bhutan.

The 53-year-old officer, who was a specialist interpreter in Urdu, was posted in the media and information wing of the high commission. A promotee officer of Ministry of External Affairs, Gupta was working in the mission for nearly three years.

She was booked for allegedly supplying sensitive and classified documents related to Indian activities in that country and Afghanistan to Pakistan.

The Special Branch of Delhi Police has charged Gupta for the offence under the Official Secrets Act of 1923, which says that any person charged with disclosing information likely to affect the security of the country is punishable by law.