Former Kerala police chief Siby Mathews gets anticipatory bail in ex-ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan’s wrongful prosecution case
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Siby Mathews is the fourth accused in the case registered in May this 12 months. He had headed the ‘ISRO spy case’ Special Investigation Team
A Thiruvananthapuram district courtroom has granted anticipatory bail to former Kerala Director General of Police (DGP) Siby Mathews after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arraigned him as accused in the police frame-up, resulting in the wrongful arrest, custodial torture and unjustified incarceration of former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan and others in 1994.
Mr. Mathews is the fourth accused in the case registered in May. He had headed the ‘ISRO spy case’ Special Investigation Team. His deputies on the time, K. K. Joshua, S. Vijayan and Thampi. S. Durgadutt, have been additionally accused of the crime, together with the then Deputy Director, Intelligence Bureau, R. B. Sreekumar.
Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Supreme Court had initiated the case in opposition to the retired officers in 2018 after it ordered the Kerala authorities to compensate Mr. Narayanan for ruining his life, profession and fame. The authorities later paid Mr. Narayanan ₹50 lakh.
Conspiracy theories
The SC had additionally concurrently constituted a three-member committee beneath Justice D. K. Jain to determine these chargeable for trespassing in opposition to Mr. Narayan’s elementary rights. The judicial panel discovered fault with the State police for setting into movement the prison regulation course of with out an iota of proof and based mostly solely on unfounded conspiracy theories and fancy notions.
In April 2021, the Central authorities deposed in the Supreme Court that the Jain Commission’s findings have been grave and warranted a radical investigation. It requested the apex courtroom to provoke appropriate motion to deliver the erring officers to justice. Subsequently, the SC referred the case to the CBI.
The grim chapter in the annals of the police investigation in Kerala has its origins in a case registered at Vanchiyoor station in Thiruvananthapuram on November 13, 1994.
Based on a “dubious” particular department report, the police had booked two Maldivian ladies for overstay and violation of the provisions of the Official Secrets Act.
The charging officers accused the ladies of making an attempt to entrap ISRO scientists concerned in the cryogenic engine procurement mission to spy out high-end area secrets and techniques out of India for a overseas energy.
Soon, newspapers have been awash with “ill-informed and salacious” studies about honey traps, stolen rocket designs, ensnared scientists, complicit politicians and conniving police officers.
Opposing factions in the then ruling Congress exploited the scandal to settle scores. The ISRO spy case led to the resignation of then Chief Minister K. Karunakaran.
Mr. Narayanan, fellow scientist D. Sasikumaran, and two ISRO consultants, K. Chandrasekhar and Sudhir Kumar Sharma, have been caught up in the vortex of the stormy scandal.
The CBI took over the case in December 1994. It later closed the case for need of proof. The SC upheld the CBI’s closure report.
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