Pune, 18 March 2026: The case against DRDO scientist Dr. Pradeep Kurulkar, accused of sharing sensitive defence information with a Pakistani intelligence operative, will now be heard in a First Class Judicial Magistrate court in Pune.
The Sessions Court directed the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to submit its chargesheet before a competent magistrate court in accordance with the Official Secrets Act.
Acting on this order, the ATS has now filed the chargesheet before the court of Judicial Magistrate U.S.M. Al Amudi, where all further proceedings will take place.
During the hearing, the defence lawyers challenged the validity of the entire process, arguing that mandatory provisions under Section 13 of the Official Secrets Act were not followed.
They contended that the law requires a formal complaint to be filed before a magistrate with proper government authorization, and not merely a police report or chargesheet.
Failure to comply with this requirement, they argued, renders the arrest and subsequent proceedings legally flawed. The court has granted time to the prosecution to respond, and the next hearing is scheduled for March 27.
This issue had also been raised earlier before the Sessions Court at the stage of framing charges and during the discharge application. The defence maintained that the information allegedly shared by Kurulkar was already available in the public domain and reiterated that procedural lapses under Section 13 weaken the case.
Taking note of these arguments, the Sessions Court directed the ATS to follow due legal procedure and approach the appropriate magistrate court.
Dr. Kurulkar was arrested by the ATS on May 4, 2023, in a suspected honey trap case involving a woman identified as Zara Dasgupta, allegedly linked to Pakistani intelligence. He is accused of sharing sensitive information related to national security. The ATS had filed a detailed chargesheet running into nearly 2,000 pages.
Kurulkar is currently in Yerwada Central Jail, while Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwala Pawar is representing the state in the case.
