Documents leak: Former journalist sent to custody

New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) A court in Delhi on Monday sent former journalist Santanu Saikia and three others to judicial custody till March 6 in the petroleum ministry documents leak case.

Saikia, who runs a web portal and covered the crime beat for several years, was sent to 11-day judicial custody along with Prayas Jain, a Melbourne-based energy consultant; and Rakesh Kumar, 30 and Lalta Prasad, 36 — both brothers and residents of Delhi.

All the accused were produced in the Patiala House court before Metropolitan Magistrate Dheeraj Mittal in connection with their alleged role in providing secret documents of the petroleum ministry to corporate houses.

All the arrested have been charged under various sections of the IPC relating to theft, forgery, trespass and criminal conspiracy in leaking the documents.