It’s treason, punish guilty under secrets Act: Cong on info leak

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 20

Upping the ante on the explosive Arnab Goswami-Partho Dasgupta chats, the Congress on Wednesday said the leakage of information about IAF strike at Balakot amounted to treason and those responsible must be punished under the Official Secrets Act.

“How could a journalist get information about a military operation three days before the strike? Leaking official secrets is a crime under the Official Secrets Act, but leaking an official secret about a national security matter is treason, anti-national,” said former Defence Minister AK Antony, as the Congress threatened to raise the matter in the Budget session and seek a joint parliamentary committee probe into the matter.

CONG RELEASES MORE CHATS

On TRAI/Amit Shah..

December 18, 2018

AG: Amit Shah at 9.30; please come by 9.15 am; Make you meet him

AG: Govt will officially ask for measurement of landing pages to be stopped. Spoke to MIB (Ministry of IB) now. Trying to announce NBF. Will neutralize Rajat.

PD: Yes. Get it blessed by Minister.

AG: That he will and PMO.

ON ARUN JAITLEY..

Aug 19, 2019

AG: Jaitley stretching it. PMO does not know what to do. PM leaving on Wednesday for France.

PD: So has not died yet?

AG: Maintaining him. I expect something by the evening.

SUSHANT CASE..

Aug 9, 2020

PD: Good stuff. You were the force behind the SC verdict (Referring to Sushant Rajput case wherein the SC declined Rhea Chakraborty’s plea to transfer the probe from Patna to Mumbai)

The Congress alleged only members of the Cabinet Committee on Security — the PM, Home Minister, Defence Minister and National Security Adviser — knew about the operation.

“The information could have been shared by one of them. An inquiry must be ordered,” Congress leaders and former ministers Antony, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Salman Khurshid said in a joint statement.

Citing Dasgupta’s “buy the judge” remark to Arnab, former Law Minister Salman Khurshid asked if the duo tried to influence the judiciary and a favorable verdict was secured through such means?

Citing Dasgupta’s “request” to Arnab to get him media adviser’s role in the PMO, the Congress asked why the PM was allowing such proximity to Goswami?