Bail Denied for Suspected ISI Agent in Odisha Espionage Case

A court in Odisha's Balasore district denied bail to Asif Ali, a suspected ISI agent, and sent him to judicial custody in a 2015 espionage case. Ali, allegedly linked to Iswar Chandra Behera, was produced in court after being brought from a jail in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

A court in Odisha's Balasore district has denied bail to Asif Ali, suspected of being an agent for Pakistan's ISI, charging him in a 2015 espionage case. The court ordered his detention for 14 days as judicial proceedings unfold.

Ali, who was previously incarcerated in another case in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, was transported to Balasore by Odisha Police, with assistance from UP authorities. He was formally presented in front of the Judicial Magistrate First Class Court, as confirmed by Additional Public Prosecutor Bhaba Shankar Sahoo.

The case also points to Ali's alleged connection with Iswar Chandra Behera, a former contractual photographer convicted for life in 2015 for sedition. Behera faced charges of transmitting classified defense information to Pakistan's ISI.

(With inputs from agencies.)