Maha govt absolves scribe booked under Official Secrets Act

Public prosecutor Revati Dhere informed a bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka that the sections invoked under the Act against the scribe P K Trivedi alias Akela did not apply and hence the police had decided to file a closure report.

She informed that the State had consulted the Advocate General Darius Khambata on the issue and he too was of the opinion that the Act did not apply in this case.

The Court took her statement on record that the Act did not apply and disposed of a petition filed by the aggrieved journalist urging quashing of FIR against him.

The journalist had written an article highlighting the condition of the storage area of sophisticated weapons at an armoury at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in June 2010.

He was booked for visiting this place as it was notified area under the Act and movement of people in this space was restricted.

The Government too agreed that this area was notified under the Act and that there was a notification banning entry of people into this space. However, it was of the opinion that sections of Official Secret Act invoked against the scribe did not apply in this case.