NEW DELHI, Nov 2: Charge-sheets have been filed against six people including a serving naval commander and two retired Indian Navy officers on Tuesday for allegedly passing on confidential information about India’s Kilo Class submarines to “unauthorised persons,” official sources said.
The six people were charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code, the sources said. The accused had been passing on confidential commercial information on the Medium Refit Life Certification or MRLC programme of India’s Kilo Class submarines to “unauthorised people for illegal gratification,” the CBI said.
The case came to light after the CBI arrested retired Navy officers Randeep Singh and SJ Singh on September 3. The first charge-sheet has been filed against these two. The second charge-sheet named three directors of a Hyderabad-based company including its executive director. Subsequent searches at the property of Commodore Randeep Singh (retired) led to the recovery of around ₹ two crores in cash, sources said.
Based on the investigation, the CBI then arrested Commander Ajit Kumar Pandey posted at the Western Naval Command headquarters. Another Commander, who was working under Commander Pandey and posted at the same headquarters, was also arrested. According to the CBI sources, both these serving commanders had been passing on confidential commercial information about the refit of the Kilo Class Submarines to retired Navy officers, who are working for foreign companies.
Commander SJ Singh, who retired earlier this year, is working for a Korean company that has interests in Indian Navy projects, source said. At least a dozen people including a Rear Admiral have been questioned in the case.
The CBI decided to file the charge-sheet to prevent the arrested accused from getting default bail. “Further investigation is on,” a CBI source said. As the case concerns national security, the CBI has not even made the First Information Report or FIR filed on September 2 public. The investigation is being handled at the highest level in the CBI.
(Manas Dasgupta)
