Court rejects ATS plea seeking polygraph, psychological analysis tests for DRDO scientist Kurulkar
Espionage case
Pune (PTI): A special court here has rejected the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad's plea seeking a polygraph, voice layer and psychological analysis tests for DRDO scientist Pradeep Kurulkar, an accused in an espionage case.
Special judge V R Kachre on Saturday rejected the ATS' application requesting the court to seek Kurulkar's consent for a polygraph test, voice layer and psychological analysis test.
Kurulkar, the then-director of a laboratory affiliated with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Pune, was arrested on May 3 under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly leaking confidential information to a Pakistani intelligence operative.
Defence counsel Rhishikesh Ganu said the accused cannot be forced to undergo the said tests and argued that the entire case was based on telephonic communication and electronic gadgets, which are with the ATS.
The judge in his order said, "...I am of the view that the accused without his consent cannot be forced to undergo either polygraph test or voice layer and psychological analysis test".
Citing a Supreme Court judgement, the court said it is crystal clear and well-settled law that no individual should be forcibly subjected to any of the techniques in question, whether in the context of investigation in criminal cases or otherwise.
Doing so would amount to an unwarranted intrusion into personal liberty, it said.
"Considering the overall discussion and relying on the landmark judgement of Smt Selvi and Ors. VS State of Karnataka, I am of the view that both the applications are liable to be rejected," the order stated.
Earlier, the ATS in its chargesheet in the case alleged that Kurulkar was attracted to a Pakistani intelligence operative and chatted with her about Indian missile systems among other classified defence projects.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
