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CBI lodges FIR against ex-Kerala police chief in framing of ISRO scientist, SC told

The ISRO spy case surfaced in 1994 when Narayanan was arrested on charges of espionage
Last Updated 26 July 2021, 10:14 IST

The CBI on Monday told the Supreme Court that it has registered an FIR against former Kerala Police chief Sibi Mathew and others for their alleged involvement in framing former ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) scientist, Nambi Narayanan in an espionage case in 1994.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Sanjiv Khanna allowed the CBI to upload the copy of the FIR on its website on a request made by the agency.

"We permit that the FIR will be uploaded during the course of the day," the bench said, adding that the "law will take its own course".

During the hearing, the court also clarified that the CBI would have to collect materials independently as Justice D K Jain Committee report itself would not be the basis to proceed in the matter.

Kaliswaram Raj, a lawyer for one of the accused, said that the CBI is proceeding on the report against him.

To this, the bench said that they can’t proceed on the report, they have to investigate on their own.

"Report is only an initial information. It can’t be the basis. Ultimately the investigation have to be done in the case," the court said.

The top court had in its order on April 15 directed the CBI to probe into the alleged involvement of some Kerala police officers in framing the former ISRO scientist, Narayanan, who was accused of spying in 1994, and file a detailed status report before it in the case.

The court had then taken into record the report submitted by the three-member panel, headed by Justice Jain, which stated that it was a serious issue and required further investigation.

Seventy-nine-year-old Narayanan fought a long battle against the Kerala police officers who accused him of being a Pakistan spy in 1994. Besides appointing the panel, the top court had in 2018 directed the Kerala government to pay Rs 50 lakh compensation for causing immense humiliation to Narayanan.

The ISRO spy case surfaced in 1994 when Narayanan was arrested on charges of espionage along with another senior official of ISRO, two Maldivian women and a businessman.

The CBI had held that the then top police officials in Kerala were responsible for Narayanan's illegal arrest. The panel examined the circumstances leading to Narayanan's arrest. It was alleged that confidential documents on India's space programme was allegedly transferred to foreign countries.

Narayanan had maintained that Kerala police fabricated the case and the technology he was accused to have stolen and sold in 1994 case did not even exist at that time.

The Modi government awarded the scientist Padma Bhushan.

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(Published 26 July 2021, 10:14 IST)

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