Navy war room leak: CBI team to go to UK

The Centre  has cleared the way for a CBI team to be sent to United Kingdom for assisting the extradition trial of navy war room leak case accused Ravi Shankaran.

Shankaran, a former navy commander and relative of ex-naval chief Arun Prakash, was nabbed by the UK police on April 21, 2010.

Shankaran is facing an international arrest and extradition request from India. He was detained at an airport. Subsequently a trial was initiated against him.

On Thursday, the government cleared way for a two-member CBI team to be sent to the UK to join the extradition trial whose next hearing is on January 19. Sources said the team is expected to leave on Saturday.

DNA was the first to break the case on July 31, 2005. The navy in its probe had found that serving and retired naval, air force, and army officers were involved in leaking classified information relating to the equipment procurement programme.

CBI had registered a case on 20 March 2006. A chargesheet was filed in the case against Shankaran and others on July 3, 2006.  Ravi Shankaran left India in November 2005.