Ex-diplomat held guilty of giving information to Pak

NEW DELHI, 15/05/2010: Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Madhuri Gupta coming out after making an appearance at Tis Hazari Court in New Delhi on May 15, 2010. Madhuri Gupta is alleged to have passed information to Pakistan counterparts while stationed at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

NEW DELHI, 15/05/2010: Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Madhuri Gupta coming out after making an appearance at Tis Hazari Court in New Delhi on May 15, 2010. Madhuri Gupta is alleged to have passed information to Pakistan counterparts while stationed at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma   | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

Madhuri Gupta had come in contact with intelligence officials through journalist Javed Rashid

A Delhi court on Friday convicted Madhuri Gupta, former Second Secretary (Press and Information) at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, for passing on sensitive official information to Pakistani intelligence officials.

The chargesheet filed by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police said the accused had admitted to passing on information to Pakistani intelligence agencies.

She had come in contact with intelligence officials Mubshar Raza Rana and Jamshed through journalist Javed Rashid.

Holding her guilty, Special Judge Sidharth Sharma said: “The conduct of the accused in passing on sensitive/secret information in light of evidence by the prosecution categorically proves the charge under the second part of Section 3(1)(c) [obtaining, publishing or communicating to any person any secret official information which is useful to an enemy] of the Official Secrets Act, punishable by up to a period of three years in jail, as well as under Section 5 of the Act read with Section 120-B [criminal conspiracy] of the IPC.”

The judge, however, acquitted her of the charge under the first part of Section 3(1)(c), for which the maximum sentence is 14 years.

“Prosecution has not been able to prove the charge under first part of Section 3(1)(c) of Official Secrets Act, accordingly the accused is acquitted of the said charge,” the judge added.