Espionage charges against journalist Rajeev Sharma are ‘false’, says his lawyer

Freelance journalist Rajeev Sharma, who was arrested under the Official Secrets Act, has been booked for espionage. The case filed  against Sharma is “false” and the “evidence was planted” by the Delhi police, his lawyer claimed on Sunday.

Sharma, a resident of Pitampura in Delhi, was allegedly passing sensitive information about India’s border strategy, Army’s deployment and procurement, and foreign policy to Chinese intelligence agencies, said the Delhi Police. 

Senior advocate Adish Aggarwala, who is representing the journalist, alleged that the police’s claim was “not true”.

“We are not denying that he was working for a Chinese news organisation. The only dispute is the police’s claim that they have found incriminating evidence, which is not true. The evidence was planted later on. On September 14, when the police took him in custody, they searched his house that night and no incriminating evidence was found. He is being framed in a false case. He has not committed any of offence,” Aggarwala told PTI.

He added, “They are not interrogating any official from the Defence Ministry. He must have found the documents from someone. It isn’t that he printed them at his home,” he claimed.

Aggarwala also alleged that Sharma’s family was not allowed access to him, nor was any information regarding the allegations furnished to them.

He has filed a bail application, which is scheduled to come up for hearing on September 22 before a Delhi court.