CBI files two chagesheets in espionage case

The CBI on Tuesday filed two separate chargesheets in the suspected espionage case involving alleged leak of sensitive information on submarine retrofitting projects against six persons, including a serving Navy commander and two retired naval officers, besides a Hyderabad-based private company and its directors.

The chargesheets were filed on Tuesday within 60 days of the registration of the case on September 2 in order to prevent the accused from getting bail from the competent court here. Under the Prevention of Corruption Act if a chargesheet is filed within the stipulated 60-day period, the chances of the accused getting bail are diminished, officials said, adding that in the absence of the chargesheet, the accused are entitled to secure bail.

The time limit for filing chargesheet in cases under the Indian Penal Code is 90 days.

The two chargesheets filed before a special CBI court at Rouse Avenue have charged the accused under IPC Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and relevant provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

In the first chargesheet, the CBI has named six accused persons, including serving Navy commander Ajit Kumar Pandey and the Hyderabad-based private firm Allen Reinforced Plastics Private Ltd (ARPPL), sources said.

The first chargesheet also named retired Navy commander SJ Singh and retired commodore Randeep Singh, Executive Director of ARPPL, TP Shastri, and directors of the accused firm, NV Rao and K Chandrashekhar, besides the company ARPPL, sources added.

The second chargesheet has been filed against two accused persons SJ Singh and Randeep, both retired Navy officers, they said. 

Earlier, the CBI had seized Rs 2.4 crore in cash from the premises of Randeep during searches.  

CBI has filed a chargesheet for passing on confidential information about India’s Kilo Class submarines to “unauthorised persons.”

They were passing confidential commercial information on the Medium Refit Life Certification or MRLC programme of India’s Kilo Class submarines to unauthorised people for illegal gratification, they said.

The case was registered following a reference from the Intelligence agencies that provided inputs that some serving officers in the Western Headquarters of Navy working on retrofitting of Russian Kilo class submarines were allegedly being influenced by retired naval officers and were receiving pecuniary benefits, the officials said.

After registering a case on September 2, the CBI carried out searches the next day during which two retired officers Commodore Randeep and Commander SJ Singh, who works for a Korean Submarine company, were arrested, they said.

During further searches, the CBI claimed to have recovered Rs 2.4 crore from the residence of one of the retired Navy officers Randeep.

Later during the probe, the CBI took into custody the serving Navy officer Commander Ajeet Kumar Pandey, and another Commander working with him, they said.

An alleged hawala dealer and director of a private company were also taken into custody during the probe, officials said.

Sources said further probe is continuing and the role of some foreign nationals is also under scanner.

The Anti-Corruption Unit of the agency, which handles sensitive and high profile corruption cases, was tasked to unearth the leakage of information following which the operation was started, they said.

The ACU has questioned several other officers and ex-servicemen who were in regular touch with the arrested officer and retired personnel, they said.

The CBI is conducting a forensic analysis of digital products used by the officer to understand if the information had fallen into the hands of people with vested interests, they said.

“Investigation related to alleged information leak of administrative and commercial nature being with some unauthorised personnel has come to light and is being investigated by appropriate government agency,” the Navy had said in a statement.

The investigation by the agency with complete support of the Indian Navy is in progress, it had said.

An internal inquiry by the Navy is also under progressed, it had said.