A secret trial, that had been going on for the past nine years in India, has ended with five civil servants (all Hindus) being found guilty of passing secrets to the United States, according to BBC.
The secrets are said to have included sensitive defence information and reports from the Indian Foreign and the Petroleum Ministries. The five who were charged under the Official Secrets Act were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.
Reporting from New Delhi, the Radio said the five officials included two former Directors of the Planning Commission, two former private secretaries to Government Ministries and an engineering consultant. They were arrested in 197 after the consultant and the Planning Director were caught exchanging information in the bathroom of a first class hotel in Delhi.
‘The court heard that the consult: ant had been buying secrets from Government officials for 15 years and selling them to the United States Embassy. Between 1962 and when he was arrested, he was paid an estimated five million rupees, the secrets were said to have crucial information about the India’s military aeronautical factory the Hindustan Aeronautics in Bangalore. There were also drawings of Soviet guns, missiles and radar system.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 21, 1986
