Overview
- The Maharashtra ATS has re-filed its charge sheet before the Judicial Magistrate First Class in Pune’s anti-corruption court after the sessions court returned it for presentation to the competent forum.
- Additional Sessions Judge P Y Ladekar directed the procedural shift, noting defence arguments that proceedings under the Official Secrets Act must begin before a magistrate.
- The magistrate took the defence application on maintainability on record and set the next hearing for March 27.
- Separately, a single-judge bench of the Bombay High Court led by Justice Shivkumar Dige reserved its order on Pradeep Kurulkar’s bail plea.
- ATS filings cite DRDO’s probe and forensic analysis, alleging the ex-director shared details of sensitive programmes in chats with a Pakistan-linked operative using UK-numbered accounts and multiple false identities.