Pakistan espionage case; Court discharges personal assistant of MP Munawwar Saleem

New Delhi: A Delhi Court on Saturday discharged the personal assistant of former Samajwadi Party MP Munawwar Saleem in a 2016 case related to espionage for Pakistan.

The accused Farhat Akhtar was arrested by crime branch in 2016 for spying and other offences punishable under the sections Official Secret Act (OSA) and criminal conspiracy punishable under IPC. 

Additional Sessions Judge Sathish Kumar Arora accepted the submission made by advocate M S Khan, appearing for Akhtar, that there was lack of sufficient evidence to proceed against him. 

The court, however, framed charges against other three accused, Maulana Ramzan Khan, Subhash Jangir and Soheb Hussain, in the case for various offences punishable under sections of OSA and IPC. 

The Delhi Police's Crime Branch had allegedly busted a spy ring involving an official of Pakistan High Commission. 

Mahmood Akhtar, the official of Pakistan High Commission, was arrested by the police but later charge sheet did not carry his name due to diplomatic immunity. 

He was sent back to the Pakistan through diplomatic channel.