ISRO espionage case: Supreme Court orders CBI to look into Jain panel report

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to look into the Justice D.K. Jain Committee report on senior Kerala police officers who allegedly framed area scientist Nambi Narayanan within the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) espionage case of 1994.

A Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar mentioned the report involved a “serious matter” warranting a CBI probe.

“This requires a thorough investigation,” Justice Khanwilkar mentioned.

“Registrar Judicial shall forward a copy of the report to the Acting Director, CBI, who may proceed in accordance with the law… Open to the CBI to treat the report as a preliminary enquiry report and proceed accordingly,” the order mentioned.

The Supreme Court barred the general public circulation of the contents of the report. The Supreme Court copy could be positioned in a sealed cowl.

Advocate Amit Sharma, for one of many cops, retired ADGP Siby Mathews, mentioned whereas Mr. Narayanan was heard out by the committee, Mr. Mathews was not referred to as or given a chance to state his case.

“Naturally, the accused need not be heard before registration of offence…” Justice Khanwilkar reacted.

The Centre has additionally put its weight behind a report filed by a three-member Committee chaired by former Supreme Court decide Justice D.K. Jain.

The Centre had utilized to the Supreme Court, urging it to settle for on document the inquiry report submitted by the Justice Jain Committee and take appropriate motion on the options made inside towards the “erring officials”.

Mr. Narayanan, in his petition earlier than the Supreme Court, had arraigned Mr. Mathews, K.K. Joshwa and S. Vijayan, the latter two had retired in senior positions within the police, as accountable.

The Committee was constituted by the Supreme Court in September 2018 to discover out “ways and means to take appropriate steps against the erring officials”.

The court docket had allowed the Central and State governments to nominate one officer every to the committee. The Centre had appointed a high official, D.K. Prasad, and the Kerala authorities appointed former further chief secretary V.S. Senthil.

At the time of his arrest on November 30, 1994, Mr. Narayanan was engaged on cryogenic engine know-how on the ISRO. The police investigators had accused him of passing on paperwork and drawings of the ISRO relating to the Viking/Vikas engine know-how, cryogenic engine know-how and the PSLV flight information/drawings to Pakistan.

But the Supreme Court had dismissed the case in 2018 as a legal frame-up primarily based on “some kind fancy or notion”. It mentioned Mr. Narayanan’s profession acquired “smothered”. The scientist himself had mentioned the prosecution launched by the Kerala Police had a “catastrophic effect” on his profession and private life moreover setting again the technological development in area analysis.

The CBI, which took over the probe from the Kerala Police, had promptly filed a closure report in 1996. But Mr. Narayanan had fought on to convey his accusers to justice.

The Supreme Court, in its 2018 judgment, had referred to as the therapy meted out to the scientist whereas he was in custody as “psycho-pathological”.

Though it had ordered the Kerala authorities to pay Mr. Narayanan ₹50 lakh as compensation, the court docket mentioned mere cash was not sufficient to make up for the torture the scientist had endured for twenty-four years. An inquiry was referred to as for into the circumstances behind the “frame-up”.