“Chief Judicial Magistrate Y Chawre, in his order, directed the police commissioner to depute a special officer to handle the procedures as well as work in cooperation with the CBI for the same. The CBI was directed to contact the Pakistani Embassy in Delhi and procure the temporary permit for Desai. He should be sent to the Wagah border in possession with the necessary documents within eight days, according to the order,” said Desai’s lawyer Vidyadhar Koshe.

Desai had pleaded guilty to leaking documents from the Khadki ammunition factory had been released by the Pune Court, having already served seven years before he was sentenced to so many years on October 4. However, he is still lodged in the Sahakarnagar police station as he has no valid passport or a visa that will allow him to be shipped back.

Koshe had filed an application on November 14, requesting the Court to pay heed to his client’s plight. The court had then sought a report from the police commissioner. After the submission of the report, Koshe had filed another application requesting that the Court to give directions to the CBI and the police to speed up the procedure for sending Desai back to his home country.

Desai, who had been arrested by Sahakarnagar police on June 14, 1999, had pleaded guilty to all charges and Judge Chawre had sentenced Desai to seven years each under section 3 [1 (C)] of the Official Secrets Act and IPC section 120 B pertaining to criminal conspiracy, besides three years of rigorous imprisonment each under section 14 of the Foreigners Registration Act and section 12-b of the Passport Act, to be served concurrently.