The Nagpur district court has sentenced Nishant Agarwal, a former engineer at BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd, to life imprisonment under the Official Secrets Act for engaging in espionage activities for Pakistans intelligence agency, ISI.In addition to life imprisonment, Agarwal was also given a 14-year term of rigorous imprisonment and was fined Rs 3,000 for his actions.Legal Basis of ConvictionThe courts decision was based on Agarwals violation of the Official Secrets Act by possessing classified information related to missiles on his laptop, which was later leaked outside. According to Additional Sessions Court judge MV Deshpande, Agarwal was found guilty under section 235 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which deals with the framing of charges, and for an offence punishable under section 66(f) of the IT Act, along with various sections of the Official Secrets Act.Honeytrap AllegationsThere were suspicions that Agarwal fell into a honeytrap set by Pakistani intelligence operatives, leading to his involvement in espionage activities for ISI. Agarwal was in touch with suspected Pakistani intelligence operatives through two Facebook accounts -- Neha Sharma and Pooja Ranjan. He may have been manipulated or coerced into sharing sensitive technical information with the ISI.Sentencing DetailsThe sentencing, as stated by Special Public Prosecutor Jyoti Vajani, included life imprisonment and 14 years of rigorous imprisonment under the Official Secrets Act, in addition to a fine of Rs 3,000. Arrest and InvestigationAgarwal, who worked in the technical research section of BrahMos Aerospace in Nagpur, was arrested in 2018 following a joint operation by military intelligence and Anti-Terrorism Squads from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. He was charged under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the stringent OSA, 1923. First spy scandalThe case has been crucial as it was the first spy scandal that hit Brahmos Aerospace. Nishant Agarwal was also the winner of the Young Scientists award by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and his involvement in such activity had shocked his colleagues.
