Arrests not linked to efforts on n-deal, says US; court process on

A court official told The Indian Express that US Magistrate Justice Deborah Robinson in District Court extended Sudarshan’s custody until Thursday. Sudarshan, 46, was moved in earlier by US Marshals to Washington DC from Simpsonville in South Carolina.

“He will remain in detention till Thursday (April 5),” the official said. It is only on Thursday that the hearing for his bail plea will be taken up, the official said.

Sudarshan’s colleague, Mythili Gopal, who was also arrested by the FBI from Simpsonville in South Carolina on same charges, would be produced in another Washington Court on April 17, office of the US Attorney Office said. Gopal, who stays in Simpsonville along with her husband and children, was released by the South Carolina court after her arrest.

In a statement, Democratic Congressman Edward Markey, better known for his anti-India tirade, slammed India and the Bush Administration and urged the Congress to “reassess” the civilian nuclear deal in light of the FBI indictment. But Tom Casey, State Department spokesman, told The New York Times that this is a law enforcement matter, which began before US efforts to conclude a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement. “The arrests of these individuals are not connected to our efforts to conclude an agreement,” he said. The Justice Department charged that these three Indian defense establishments participated in a conspiracy to acquire secret weapons technology from the US with the help of Cirrus Electronics, which is based in Singapore with offices in the US and India.