The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a plea for modification of bail conditions by journalist Rajeev Sharma, who was arrested under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly passing on secret information to Chinese intelligence.

A bench of Justice Mukta Gupta, which had granted bail to the freelance journalist last month, was hearing Sharma’s plea for modification of the bail condition, in which he was directed to appear before the Investigation Officer on the first Monday of every month, for the next six months.

Observing the declining trend of Covid cases in Delhi and opening up of institutions, the court said that it finds no ground to modify Sharma’s condition and dismissed the plea.

Sharma was arrested by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell on September 14, 2020, and granted bail by the Delhi High Court in December 2020. However, on July 1, 2021, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Sharma in connection with a money-laundering probe linked to the espionage case.

Sharma had moved the High Court following the dismissal of bail plea by the Sessions Court. He had also submitted that he is suffering from various ailments, including acute sinus for which he had undergone two surgeries, putting him at a high risk of Covid-19 infection.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)