Cuttack: The Orissa High Court granted bail to Basanta Kumar Behera, one of four DRDO contractual employees arrested for espionage, citing extended pre-trial detention and his compliance during prior interim bail periods.
A contractual air conditioning operator at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Behera has been in custody since September 2021 for allegedly spying for a Pakistani agent.
Justice Gourishankar Satapathy, while granting him bail on July 1, emphasized the constitutional right to a speedy trial under Article 21. “If the state is unable to provide a speedy trial, it should not oppose the plea of bail merely on the ground that the crime committed is serious,” the court observed.
The trial, currently pending before the 3rd additional sessions judge in Balasore, has made little progress in the past nearly four years.
The court ruled that Behera had made out a strong case for bail, considering his compliance during two prior interim bail periods, his prolonged detention, and the bail granted to co-accused Sachin Kumar Chhata and Tapas Ranjan Nayak.
He has been ordered to furnish a bail bond of Rs 5 lakh with two solvent sureties and compliance with several conditions, including fortnightly attendance at the local police station for six months and a ban on leaving the trial court’s jurisdiction without permission. He is also required to update the court and investigating agency with his contact and residence details.
“As of now, Basanta Kumar Behera is in Balasore Jail. We are in the process of fulfilling the bail conditions, and he is expected to be released within a day or two,” his advocate Ashutosh Mishra told TOI.
