Overview
- A special court in Pune on June 19 framed charges against Pradeep Kurulkar under multiple provisions of the Official Secrets Act and moved the case toward trial beginning in early July with reports citing either July 2 or the second week of July.
- The charges invoke Sections 3(1)(c), 4 and 5(1)(a),(c),(d) of the 1923 Act, which cover penalties for spying, communication with foreign agents and wrongful communication of official information.
- Kurulkar was arrested by the Maharashtra ATS on May 3, 2023, and the ATS filed its chargesheet on June 30, 2023; his bail pleas and a discharge application were rejected by the special court and later by the Bombay High Court.
- Prosecutors submitted a sealed forensic laboratory report in November 2024 that is said to include alleged chat logs and device data linking Kurulkar to a suspected Pakistani operative, but the report’s contents remain withheld under Official Secrets Act restrictions.
- Ahead of the in‑camera trial the court has directed the prosecution to file a list of documents under Section 294 CrPC and complete procedural formalities, and Kurulkar—suspended from DRDO after his arrest—now faces a criminal record and potential penalties under the OSA.