Ex-Brahmos scientist walks out of jail after seven years
NAGPUR, Dec 3: Nishant Agarwal, an award-winning scientist who worked at the BrahMos missile centre, walked free late Tuesday night from Nagpur Central Jail after the Bombay High Court cleared him of charges of spying for Pakistan. Agarwal had to spend seven years behind bars that put his career in jeopardy after what turned out to be a costly mistake while pursuing an overseas job without due diligence. The legal battle at the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court centred around ‘mens rea’ (guilty mind) in the charges levelled against Agarwal, who was arrested in 2018 under various sections of Official Secrets Act and Information Technology Act. “Yes, he walked out of the Nagpur Central Jail on Tuesday night,” his counsel Chaitanya B Barve told PTI. While efforts to speak to the 34-year-old Agarwal, who received ‘Young Scientist Award’ for 2017-18, did not fructify, a close relative said the family was grateful to the country’s judicial system and all of them were relieved after a prolonged legal battle. “He will pick up the threads again as he has been a fighter all his life,” he said. (PTI)
Flight disruptions: DGCA asks IndiGo to submit mitigation plans
NEW DELHI, Dec 3: Aviation watchdog DGCA on Wednesday said it is investigating IndiGo flight disruptions and has asked the airline to submit the reasons for the current situation, as well as the plans to reduce flight cancellations and delays. The country’s largest airline, IndiGo, on Wednesday cancelled more than 100 flights at various airports and scores of services were delayed as it grappled with significant operational disruptions, mainly due to crew shortage, and announced calibrated schedule adjustments for the next 48 hours to normalise operations. In a statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said it is currently investigating the situation and evaluating measures, along with the airline, to reduce cancellations and delays to minimise inconvenience being caused to passengers. (PTI)
