JOIN USCBI chargesheets Isro ex-chief in Antrix-Devas case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday named former Isro chairman G Madhavan Nair and seven others in a chargesheet for causing a “wrongful gain” of Rs 578 crore to private multimedia company Devas by the space agency’s commercial arm Antrix.
The chargesheet was filed in the court of the special CBI judge in the Patiala House Courts. The charges include criminal conspiracy, cheating and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Former executive director of Antrix K R Sridhar Murthy, former managing director of Forge Advisors and CEO of Devas Ramachandra Vishwanathan and former director of Devas M G Chandrasekhar are among those named in the chargesheet. Former additional secretary in the Department of Space Veena S Rao, former director of Isro A Bhaskar Narayana Rao and two directors of Devas Multimedia D Venugopal and M Umesh are also named in the case.
They have been accused of entering into a criminal conspiracy to “cause undue gain to themselves or others” by abusing their official positions. They caused a loss to Antrix Corporation Ltd and Isro by leasing out Insat transponders capacity on GSAT-6 and 6A satellites to Bengaluru-based Devas.
Between 2004 and 2011, the FIR stated that the government officials abused their position by favouring Devas, giving it the rights for delivery of videos, multimedia and information services to mobile phones using S-band through GSAT-6 and GSAT-6A satellites and terrestrial systems in India.
According to the CBI, further investigation is continuing into several related issues.
The probe will look into the issues of demand of S-Band frequencies by other users, including the Ministry of Defence, for strategic purpose; the Department of Telecommunications, DVB-SH Technology developed by ETSI and the affairs of the US-based company; FDI received and funds transferred from the accounts of Devas to foreign accounts and offences under criminal breach of trust by public servants.
The Enforcement Directorate had last month slapped a Rs 1,217.76 crore Foreign Exchange Management Act violation notice on Devas Multimedia and others in connection with the controversial deal involving Antrix.
‘Scientists made scapegoats’
Former Isro chairman G Madhavan Nair said on Thursday that scientists have been made “scapegoats” in the Antrix-Devas case, PTI reports from New Delhi. Nair said he and the others who have been named accused have done nothing wrong. Nair blamed the previous UPA regime for the “hasty” decision to cancel the agreement.