Latest news with #OrdnanceFactory
New Indian Express
21-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Madras HC orders reinstatement of employee of ordnance factory after 15 year battle
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered the reinstatement of an employee of the Ordnance Factory with lesser punishment almost 15 years after he was asked to take compulsory retirement on charges of doubtful integrity after finding him keeping in possession a computer floppy containing copies of official communications without any authorisation. A division bench of Justices MS Ramesh and N Senthilkumar passed the orders recently to reinstate K Saravanan, an upper division clerk employed with the Heavy Alloy Penetrative Project, Tiruchy, an arm of the Ordnance Factory Board. He was asked to go on compulsory retirement on July 26, 2011 by the management for violation of the Rule 11 of Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964. He approached the CAT against the order. The tribunal found that there was nothing to question the employee's integrity and the punishment was 'shockingly disproportionate and vindictive'. It set aside the order of compulsory retirement with the rider of a lesser punishment. During arguments in the high court, the management submitted that the Ordnance Factory is linked to national safety and the charges were serious. The bench reasoned, 'Even assuming that the photocopies were in the personal possession of the employee, no consequential prejudice was caused to the management, since he had not shared such official communications with any third person. In this view of the matter, both the charges can only be held to be minor in nature, which may not warrant the maximum penalty.' The bench ordered his reinstatement with a minor penalty within three months.
New Indian Express
19-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Suspected ISI agent arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur
A 24-year-old youth, who was recently arrested in the Panipat district of Haryana for allegedly supplying sensitive information to some individuals in Pakistan, hailed from the Kairana district of Uttar Pradesh. The suspect, Nauman Ilahi (24), also was allegedly in touch with a Pak-based ISI handler, Haryana Police sources had said on Thursday. Ilahi, who worked as a factory security guard, was nabbed on Tuesday. He was reportedly staying with his sister and brother-in-law at Hali Colony in Panipat. On March 13, the Uttar Pradesh ATS had arrested an employee of the Ordnance Factory at Hazratpur in the Firozabad district for allegedly sending sensitive and confidential information to a Pakistani agent, who had befriended him on Facebook. The accused was identified as Ravindra Kumar, a chargeman at the factory. "In the last few days, the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) has been receiving information about handlers of a Pakistani spy agency, under pseudonyms, luring staff at the External Affairs Ministry and the Government of India, and offering them money to obtain confidential and classified information and documents, which could have posed a threat to India's internal and external security," the ATS had said in a statement. "On a thorough probe, it was found that Ravindra Kumar, a chargeman at the ordnance factory in Hazratpur, was sending sensitive and confidential information to a Pakistani agent, who was his Facebook friend," the statement said. The ATS squad said they found sensitive and confidential documents in Kumar's phone, which he had sent to the Pakistani agent. He could not offer a satisfactory explanation for this, they said. "During interrogation, Kumar said he has been working in the Ordnance Factory since 2006, and as a chargeman since 2009. Around July 2024, he became friends with Neha Sharma on Facebook. He frequently chatted with her on WhatsApp, via audio and video calls," the ATS said. "Ravindra Kumar, in the greed of becoming rich, used to send her confidential information. He also said he used to frequently delete the WhatsApp chats, but some chats and confidential documents remained in the phone," the ATS said.
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- The Hindu
Tiruchi Ordnance Factory hands over first batch of TriCa weapons to Kerala police
Ordnance Factory, Tiruchi, a unit of Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Ltd. under the Ministry of Defence, has handed over the first batch of 92 numbers of TriCa (Trichy Carbine) weapons to the Kerala police on Friday. The 7.62 x 39 mm weapons were handed over to the Kerala police at an event held at the Ordnance Factory here by Sanjay Shrivastava, Executive Director, OFT, with senior officials taking part. TriCa was indigenously developed through in-house R&D by the OFT. The order for 92 numbers of TriCa was placed by the Kerala police based on successful trials conducted by it at the factory. TriCa has the size of a typical submachine gun with caliber of 7.62 x 39 mm and a firing range of up to 175 metres. It is a light and compact weapon designed for the crews of infantry combat vehicles, paratroopers, helicopters, police personnel, and security men guarding high-security buildings such as airports and special operation forces wherein the requirement of a quick response and relatively powerful individual automatic weapon is the necessity. The OFT has received an order from the Assam Forest and the Central Bureau of Narcotics. OFT is expecting further orders from various police forces based on the successful issue of the first lot, an official release said.
