The Orissa High Court has closed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) related to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) espionage case after the state Crime Investigation Department-Crime Branch (CID-CB) informed the court that the trial in the case has already begun before the additional district judge in Balasore.
A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Subhasis Talapatra and Justice Savitri Ratho decided to close the PIL, which was filed by High Court lawyer Arun Kumar Budhia on September 28, 2021. The PIL had sought an investigation into the case by a professional national investigation agency, citing the sensitive and high-magnitude nature of the offence. The petitioner, represented by Senior Advocate Gautam Acharya, had argued that the state CID-CB might not be equipped to handle such a complex case.
The state CID-CB's affidavit presented to the court confirmed that they had completed the investigation, filed a chargesheet, and charges had been framed in the case. The trial process had also commenced, with three witnesses already summoned. The affidavit further noted that the investigating officer had received cooperation from various central agencies during the probe.
Taking into account the developments and the progress of the case, the bench concluded that the purpose of the PIL had been fulfilled, rendering it unnecessary to continue with the proceedings. The DRDO espionage case involved the alleged leaking of classified information from the defence installation by five employees of the Intermediate Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, leading to their arrest by state police in September 2021.
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