In a judgment delivered by Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Pradeep Meshram, the accused, Manuel was given bail under section 167 (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) which states that if the charge-sheet is not filed within 90 days, the accused shall be granted bail ``forthwith.''

Manuel, arrested on June 17, completed his 90 days on Wednesday and immediately applied for bail. He had been arrested as one of the informers of Pakistani Military Intelligence operative Sayeed Mohammed Desai, from his residence in Dehu Road.

According to the remand report, Manuel, a clerk at the Ordnance Factory, Dehu Road, used to pass sensitive documents to Desai which were later faxed to Desai's contacts in Pakistan. Manuel was arrested under the Official Secrets Act and remanded to 14 days police custody and susequently remanded to magisterial custody and lodged at the Yerawada Central Prison awaiting the charge-sheet to be filed.

The case had been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) under the National Security Act two days ago. The prosecution argued that since the case had been recently transferred to the CBI the accused should not be released on bail. The judge ruled in favour of the accused and released him on bail on a surety of Rs 25,000 and the condition that he appeared before the Pune city crime branch everyday between 12 and 1 p.m.

Manuel had been arrested along with Desai and four others, Rajesh Kamble, Ajay Bhalerao, Sayebzada Badesaab Shaikh and Ziauddin Chaman Sahikh, all working in various sensitive government departments. According to the investigating authorities Manuel had passed sensitive documents that indicated the movement of ammunition to the various units of the Indian Army. The case was being investigated by inspector Surendra Bapu Patil of crime branch.