Chandigarh man having DRDO’s confidential documents booked

Almost two years after the Chandigarh-based Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), a unit of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), accused a local resident of illegally procuring sensitive and confidential documents related to warhead assemblies and ammunition, the police have registered a case under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and other sections of the Indian Penal Code. Identified as Sunil Kumar, the accused is a resident of Ram Darbar.
The complaint was filed by Prakash Chand Bhatia, senior administrative officer of the TBRL, on behalf of the laboratory’s director on June 8, 2022. Bhatia mentioned that Sunil Kumar submitted a letter dated July 15, 2021 to the TBRL regarding some grievance he had related to the laboratory and, in order to buttress him claim, he had attached photocopies of critical internal (confidential) documents which included drawings of fragment generators and warhead assemblies. According to Bhatia, those documents were classified and meant only for internal use. The laboratory claimed that these documents were obtained illegally and their disclosure could “jeopardise the security and sovereignty” of the country.
According to the complainant, the accused received those documents from Khem Chand, a technical officer who retired from the same institution. Khem Chand has reportedly denied his involvement in supplying the sensitive documents.
Accused Sunil Kumar, in a letter dated August 16, 2021 to the TBRL, had confirmed that he had got the documents from Khem Chand.
The TBRL, located in Sector 30, Chandigarh, is a highly classified defence establishment engaged in the design, development and testing of various explosive compositions, including missiles and ammunition. The alleged misuse of such documents could have severe ramifications as they are crucial to national defense operations, according to the complainant.
After a preliminary probe, the police have lodged an FIR under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and Sections 378 (theft), 379 (punishment for theft), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 120A and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.