The Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench has dismissed a plea for bail and the suspension of a prison sentence for Nishant Agrawal, a former engineer at BrahMos Aerospace, convicted of espionage activities.
Justices Vinay Joshi and Vrushali Joshi delivered their verdict on Friday, following final arguments presented on Wednesday. Assistant government pleader Anup Badar, who represented the state, confirmed the court’s decision.
Nishant Pradeepkumar Agrawal was sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court on June 3, following his arrest in 2018. He faced charges of spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI. Agrawal was found guilty under the stringent provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Official Secrets Act of 1923.*
Senior counsel Siddhartha Dave, representing Agrawal, argued for his client’s bail and suspension of the sentence pending appeal, but the High Court upheld the lower court’s decision, emphasizing the severity of the offenses.
