Shivani Thakur
Published on: June 5, 2022, at 16:36 IST
A former National Investigation Agency (NIA) official has been accused of leaking confidential document to someone who then passed it on to a handler of the prescribed terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), who is found in Delhi, Bail has been approved by the Court.
Further, NIA Judge Parveen Singh observed that, “The entire evidence to prove these facts which has been relied upon by the prosecution, is documentary/electronic in nature as it is the information retrieved from the phone of the accused that had allegedly established communication of those documents to his co-accused.”
Arvind Negi said that a senior official introduced him to the informer to whom he had reportedly given certain classified papers, which the informer’s services were accustomed solve terror cases. Also, it has been claimed by the government that Negi was instrumental in transferring sensitive information and restricted papers to the defendants.
Negi was charged with a Non-Bailable Offense under Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act.
It observed, “With relation to Section 5 (wrongful communication or information) of Official Secrets Act, I find that what the prosecution has to prove the commission of this offence is that there was a secret document which was possession of the accused/applicant which he has communicated that document to his co-accused…”
Bail was granted to Negi on the ground that he will not leave India without the Court’s permission.