BrahMos spy case: Bombay HC acquits scientist Nishant Agarwal of life term

The Bombay High Court overturned the life sentence for ex-BrahMos scientist Nishant Agarwal, accused of spying for Pakistan's ISI. The court found the prosecution couldn't prove he leaked classified info, causing the 2018 espionage case to collapse.

The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has set aside the life imprisonment awarded to former BrahMos Aerospace senior scientist Nishant Pradeepkumar Agarwal, who was accused of sharing confidential missile-related information with Pakistan's ISI. The court observed that the prosecution could not establish the key allegation that Agarwal had actually leaked classified defence data to foreign intelligence handlers. With this crucial charge collapsing, the 2018 espionage case has effectively fallen apart, paving the way for Agarwal's release.

Who is Nishant Agarwal?

Agarwal, an alumnus of NIT Kurukshetra and a native of Haridwar, began his career with BrahMos in 2013 as an executive trainee. He later advanced to the position of senior system engineer and received the Young Scientist Award in 2017-18 for his contributions.

Details of the Espionage Case

The case had originated after agencies claimed he was trapped online by a fake Facebook account named Sejal Kapoor, which pretended to be a Canadian recruiter offering lucrative opportunities. Subsequent investigations revealed that this profile was actually operated by a Pakistani intelligence operative, who had similarly targeted more than 98 personnel from the Army, Air Force and other defence establishments between 2015 and 2018.

With the High Court striking down almost all major charges except an offence under the Official Secrets Act, for which his sentence has already been accounted for, the criminal appeal stands resolved.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)