CUTTACK: The Chandipur Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) espionage case is back in focus after over a year with the Orissa High Court seeking an up-to-date status of the investigation both by the centre and state government.
Five staffers employed at the Intermediate Test Range (ITR), Chandipur were arrested by the state police on September 13 and 16, 2021 for allegedly leaking classified information from the defence installation. While the state CID-Crime Branch took over the investigation, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team had also been to Balasore to probe the alleged links of the accused with Pakistani agents.
Advocate Arun Kumar Budhia had filed a PIL seeking direction for probe into the case by a professional national investigating agency on September 28, 2021. The PIL was listed for hearing after over a year on Thursday. But the court found that neither the Central nor the state government had filed any affidavit on the status of investigation. They were directed to file their respective affidavits on December 7, 2021.
The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice MS Raman granted two weeks to the Centre and four weeks to state government to file affidavits after their respective counsels sought more time for it to give updates on status of investigation into the espionage case.
The bench fixed August 10 for further consideration of the PIL which hinged on the contention that a probe by a central agency like CBI/NIA/ SIT is essential as the nature of offence is sensitive and involved passing on vital information from the establishment of the DRDO to foreign spies in lieu of money.