The Chandigarh Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has suspended the remaining sentence of former Army personnel Ramandip Attri, who was convicted by a General Court Martial (GCM) for allegedly sharing sensitive military information with a Pakistan-based intelligence operative in exchange for money.
A Bench comprising Justice Sudhir Mittal and Lieutenant General (Retd) Ravendra Pal Singh allowed Attri’s application and directed his release on bail during the pendency of his appeal. In its order dated October 16, the tribunal observed that he had already spent more than one-third of his four-year sentence in custody and that the appeal was unlikely to be decided in the near future.
“Thus, in the interest of justice, the remaining sentence of the appellant is suspended during the pendency of the appeal,” the tribunal observed.
Attri was convicted by the General Court Martial on May 5, 2025, and sentenced to dismissal from service and four years of rigorous imprisonment. He has challenged the entire court martial proceedings, including the charge sheet, convening order, findings and sentence.
The tribunal had admitted his appeal on August 5 and made an important observation regarding the limitation period applicable to the trial. “We are prima facie satisfied that the trial is barred by limitation in this case,” the Bench had observed while admitting the appeal.
The matter has now been adjourned to April 9, 2027, for further proceedings.
Allegations of Sharing Sensitive Military Information
According to the prosecution, Attri was attached to an infantry unit when he allegedly came into contact with a Pakistan-based intelligence operative identified as Baba Badhava through his childhood friend Harpal Singh, who allegedly acted as an India-based handler.
The prosecution accused Attri of sharing three official documents with Singh, knowing that the information would subsequently be passed on to the Pakistan-based operative. The documents reportedly included a letter mentioning the date of the Pulwama attacks, a PDF file containing the names of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and a letter carrying telephone numbers of the Regiment of Artillery Records.
Attri was charged under provisions of the Army Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act. According to the prosecution, he allegedly received Rs 15,000 in exchange for sharing the information.
Defence Challenges Court Martial Proceedings
Challenging the conviction and the proceedings, Attri’s counsel, advocate Rajesh Sehgal, argued that the trial was barred by limitation. The defence submitted that the alleged offence took place on January 2, 2021, and that the commanding officer became aware of Attri’s alleged involvement on February 2, 2021.
However, the General Court Martial proceedings commenced on February 25, 2025, according to the defence submission. The counsel argued that the time gap raised questions about the legality of initiating the trial under the applicable limitation provisions.
The defence also questioned the judicial confession recorded on November 16, 2024. It pointed to the alleged absence of copies of the classified documents, direct communication records between Attri and the Pakistan-based operative, and recovery or documentary evidence supporting the alleged payment.
Another issue raised by the defence concerned an alleged discrepancy in the amount of money involved. The counsel highlighted that the charge sheet mentioned Rs 15,000, whereas the investigating officer’s testimony reportedly referred to Rs 50,000.
These submissions form part of Attri’s challenge to the court martial proceedings and the conviction. The tribunal’s observations at the admission stage and its subsequent decision to suspend the remaining sentence do not amount to a final determination of the appeal or the allegations.
With the remaining sentence suspended, Attri has been granted bail while the appeal remains pending before the Armed Forces Tribunal. The matter is scheduled to come up again on April 9, 2027, when the tribunal will continue examining the challenge to the court martial proceedings and conviction.
