Pune: The special court in Pune has received the draft of charges against Dr. Pradeep Kurulkar, a senior scientist and director at DRDO's R&DE laboratory, who is accused of providing classified national security information to a Pakistani female spy. The case will move to trial after the court formally frames the charges.
Dr. Kurulkar was arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on May 4, 2023, under allegations of falling into a honey trap and leaking critical defense-related information to Pakistani intelligence agent Zara Dasgupta. The ATS had earlier submitted a 2,000-page charge sheet in court, detailing the nature and extent of the information allegedly shared by the scientist.
The Special Public Prosecutor, Ujjwala Pawar, presented the draft of charges before Special Judge V. R. Kachare. The prosecution has emphasized the critical nature of the case and the need for an expedited trial.
Dr. Kurulkar is currently lodged at Yerwada Central Jail. The defense team has opposed the draft, filing a request for its exclusion from proceedings. The court is yet to decide on this request.