This issue has figured prominently in the national media. Is there
sufficient follow-up on the Goa angles? Reporting on the Navy has
tended to be a huge black home for the most... with by-invite-only
coverage obviously not doing justice to the issues on hand.
Niraj Naik's DigitalGoa service said 6-Apr-2006 16:49:46: "CBI raided
plant in Verna over Navy war room leak case."
Later, a report in the ET named the plant concerned. Below are some
reports that show up the Goa link, and name officers whom some of us
might have encountered in news conferences:
Navy war room leak case links
http://tinyurl.com/mxetb
In particular, see
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1480764.cms
Navy war-room leak: CBI raids 17 places. It says:
NEW DELHI: Almost a year after the war-room leak rocked the Navy like
never before, and led to the sacking of four officers, the wheels of
justice finally seem to be turning now after a long delay....
The CBI case, registered under the Official Secrets Act and section
120-B of the Indian Penal Code, names nine persons for "conspiring to
trade off classified documents and information relating to the defence
ministry, the disclosure of which is likely to affect the country's
sovereignty and integrity".
CBI, in particular, is eager to arrest Ravi Shankaran, the alleged
"brain" behind the episode, who also happens to be the nephew of Navy
chief Admiral Arun Prakash.
Shankaran and Parashar, former naval officers who took premature
retirement to set up their own business, were the ones who allegedly
enticed Rana, Jha and the then director of naval operations Captain
Kashyap Kumar to "leak" classified information from the Navy war-room
in South Block for monetary and other gains.
The leaked information, primarily of commercial nature, was apparently
meant for international armament companies eager to bag lucrative
Indian defence contracts.....
The government had handed over the war-room leak case to CBI belatedly
in February only after allegations surfaced that middlemen were
involved in the Rs 18,798-crore Scorpene submarine project and that
the "recipients" in the war-room leak episode were also linked to
French firms involved in the submarine project.
With UPA coming under fire from NDA, defence minister Pranab Mukherjee
denied any wrongdoing in the Scorpene deal, saying it was completely
above board. He has stressed that the "leaked information" from the
war-room did not pertain to the submarine project.
* * * * *
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1480861.cms
CBI raids premises of Naval chief's kinAdd to Clippings
Sources said that the CBI had filed the FIR over 15 days ago but had
been waiting for Parashar to return before starting arrests and
conducting raids. Raids were conducted in 17 locations in New Delhi,
Mumbai, Pune, Muzzafarpur, Chandigarh and Goa.
Another key accused in the case Lt Commander (Retd) Ravishankaran, the
nephew of Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash, is still in London and the
CBI is waiting for his return from London before proceeding against
him, He is also named in the CBI FIR.
The factory premises of Shanks Oceaneering belonging to Ravishankaran
in Mumbai and Goa were also raided. The CBI also raided the house of
Manish Vohra, the chartered accountant for Parashar and Ravi
Shankaran....
The entire leak was discovered due to an illicit relationship between
Jaiswal and Indian Air Force ex-wing commander Sambhajee L Surve, who
is also named in the FIR. Surve's wife had complained to the Air
Force.
During that investigation, the Air Force counter surveillance team
stumbled on to a pen drive in Surve's possession that led them to the
entire war room deal. The Navy and the Air Force both conducted
inquiries and three naval officers were thrown out of the Navy. The
CBI was given the findings of both the inquiries....
The war room leak case has led to speculation that the
Scorpene deal is also linked somehow to the case. CBI spokesperson
Mohanty said that all aspects of the case are being investigated....
