Nineteen months after RAW Joint Secretary Rabinder Singh hoodwinked the then NDA government and defected to the US—as first reported in The Indian Express—the external intelligence agency has concluded its investigation and now asked the Home Ministry for clearance to prosecute the defector under the Official Secrets Act.This happened last month and the Ministry is yet to get back.The RAW has recommended that Rabinder Singh be charged under Section 8 of the OSA so that he is declared a proclaimed offender and his properties in India could be seized. The relevant section invites imprisonment upto three years and fine or both in case the accused does not appear before the court.Rabinder Singh escaped to Nepal en route to US via Vienna on May 7, 2004. The UPA government, after assuming power on May 23, ordered an inquiry and asked then RAW chief C.D. Sahay to fix responsibility. The work was taken up by P K Hormese Tharakkan, after being appointed Secretary (RAW) on January 31, 2005.During the past nine months, RAW questioned Rabinder Singh’s personal staff and everyone in touch with him. RAW teams were sent to Geneva, Damascus and US—all places where Rabinder Singh was posted.While former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra was not questioned by RAW, he himself briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the Rabinder Singh case on January 17, 2005.Mishra was briefed by then RAW Chief Sahay about Rabinder’s spying activities on April 22, 2004 and a trap was planned for the spy at Amritsar on April 30 but he cancelled his visit.
