New Delhi: Embassy staffer turned alleged Pakistan spy Madhuri Gupta has been sent to 14 days in judicial custody. She was produced in the Tis Hazari court here Saturday morning as her police custody ended Saturday.
Gupta has been booked under Sections 3, 6, and 5 of the Official Secrets Act and charged with divulging important information to enemy country. The maximum punishment under this is 14 years.
She was arrested last week for allegedly passing on information to the ISI. She told investigators she did this not for money but to teach the IFS a lesson and because ISI agent Rana was her friend. Police are verifying her claim by going through her bank accounts in both countries.
Madhuri claimed the ISI agent Rana was not her only handler. She says a man named Jamshed was also in close touch with her. Rana and Jamshed both reportedly tried tap her through two Pakistani journalists before 2007 but finally succeeded towards the end of 2008.
Gupta's confessions will be shared with the Ministry of External Affairs to verify importance of the information she passed on. Her computer records will also be examined. She has been sent to 14 days of judicial custody till May 15.
Madhuri's lawyer Joginder Dahia said she had told him that she is innocent and is being framed in the espionage case. "I have been framed in this case and I am innocent," she told the lawyer.
The police wanted custody of two days more on the grounds that they want to confront her with the report which has been brought from Pakistan but the court declined, added the lawyer. The police told the court that they need to verify what Madhuri had said earlier that she got no money.
Who is Madhuri Gupta
Madhuri Gupta was working for the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. She was recently promoted from Urdu interpreter to Second Secretary in Press and Information department. She was called back to India on pretext of discussing ongoing SAARC summit in Bhutan. After interrogation, she was handed over to the Delhi Police.
She partially leaked India's strategic plans in Afghanistan to her Pakistan aides. Gupta was meeting Pakistani ISI officers, also sent emails to her Pakistani handlers from fake accounts. Earlier she had postings in Baghdad, Kuala Lumpur and UN mission in Africa.
Official Secret Act
The Official Secrets Act 1923 is India's anti-espionage act and deals with any action which involves helping an enemy state against India. It also states that one cannot approach, inspect, or even pass over a prohibited government site or area. According to this Act, helping the enemy state can be in the form of communicating a sketch, plan, model of an official secret, or of official codes or passwords, to the enemy.
The disclosure of any information that is likely to affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, or friendly relations with foreign states, is punishable by this act.
Person prosecuted under this Act can be charged with the crime even if the action was unintentional and not intended to endanger the security of the state. The Act only empowers persons in positions of authority to handle official secrets, and others who handle it in prohibited areas or outside them are liable for punishment.
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