NEW DELHI – Indian ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan has been fighting legalbattles since 1994, first to clear his name in an espionage case, then forcompensation and now for action against the police officers who hadimplicated him. Having had his name cleared after the CBI closure report in1996 declared the spy case false, and his compensation upheld by the KeralaHigh Court in 2012, the former ISRO scientist is waiting for the SupremeCourt to rule on action he has demanded against the police officers. OnTuesday, the Supreme Court reserved its judgment on his plea.ADVERTISEMENT
*How it began*The “ISRO spy case” dates back to October 20, 1994, when Kerala police inThiruvananthapuram registered a case against Mariam Rasheeda, a Maldiviannational, under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act 1946 and Section 7 of theForeigners Order, 1948.
The initial charges were of overstaying in India following the cancellationof her flight to Maldives. Following her interrogation, police made out acase that she had contacted ISRO space scientists who were suspected ofhaving transferred cryogenic engine technology to Pakistan through her. Thefollowing month, police registered another case against ISRO scientists DSasikumaran and Narayanan, Russian Space Agency Glavkosmos’s Indiarepresentative Chandrasekhar, Maldivian national Fauzia Hassan, andBangalore-based labour contractor S K Sharma.
The case was initially probed by Inspector S Vijayan. A special team headedby DIG Siby Mathew arrested Narayanan and others. The police case was thatNarayanan and Sasikumaran had passed on secret documents to othercountries, especially Pakistan.
They accused Chandrasekhar, Sharma, and inspector-general of Kerala policeRaman Srivastava of passing on secrets of the Aeronautical DefenceEstablishment, Bangalore. They alleged that Chandrasekhar, Sasikumaran andthe two Maldivian women had met secretly to exchange papers and money. Thearrested scientists were grilled by Intelligence Bureau sleuths, includingGujarat-cadre IPS officer R B Sreekumar, who was then IB additionaldirector in Kerala.ADVERTISEMENT
Srivastava’s name created a political flutter as the IPS officer was knownto be close to then Congress chief minister K Karunakaran. Under pressurefrom within the party led by rival A K Antony and Congress coalitionpartners Muslim League and Kerala Congress(M), Karunakaran was forced tostep down in March 1995.
*Probe & closure*Within 20 days of the case being registered, the probe was handed over tothe CBI. In 1996, it submitted its closure report in the chief judicialmagistrate’s court in Kochi, saying that the allegations of espionage wereunproved and false. The court admitted the closure report, leading to thedischarge of all those who had been implicated.
The CBI submitted that Mathew had indiscriminately ordered the arrest ofthe scientists and others without conducting a thorough interrogation oradequately verifying disclosures. The agency said it had not recovered anyevidence from the ISRO or the money allegedly paid to the accused by theirforeign contacts.
The CBI report also blamed the Intelligence Bureau for conducting the probein an unprofessional manner. The IB did not verify the statements of theaccused, which the CBI said could have saved the reputation of thescientists. The IB did not share with the Kerala police the basis of theirallegations against Srivastava, the CBI said.
*Continuing battle*The CPM-led government, which assumed office in May 1996, ordered areinvestigation. Narayanan and others challenged this in Kerala High Court,which refused to stay the government order for reinvestigation. Narayananthen appealed in the Supreme Court, which quashed the state governmentorder in 1998.
Subsequently, Narayanan moved the National Human Rights Commission seekingcompensation of Rs 1 crore from the Kerala police officials who hadimplicated him. In 2001, the NHRC ordered interim relief of Rs 10 lakh. In2006, the state government challenged it in in the high court, which in2012 upheld Narayanan’s contention and ordered the government to give himinterim relief of Rs 10 lakh. In October 2013, the then Congress-ledgovernment decided to give the compensation.
*The scientist*In 2015, Narayanan approached the Supreme Court seeking criminal anddisciplinary action against Kerala police officials led by Siby Mathew. Aformer DGP, Mathew had taken voluntary retirement in 2011 and gone on tobecome the state’s chief information commissioner.
This is the ruling Narayanan is waiting for. His career cut short onaccount of the case, Narayanan describes what he went through in hisautobiography, Orbit of Memories. He suggests a motive for why he wasframed, writing that he suspects the CIA was behind the false case. Hesuspects a conspiracy to sabotage India’s progress in making a cryogenicrocket, and notes that the spy case put India behind by 15 years incryogenic technology. The beneficiaries of the delay were the US andFrance, he writes, demanding a probe into the alleged conspiracy.