Nambi Narayanan opposes ex-DGP Siby Mathews' anticipatory bail plea in ISRO spy case

In the latest development in the ISRO spy case, scientist Nambi Narayanan has reportedly opposed the anticipatory bail plea filed by Kerala's ex-DGP Siby Mathews and told the court that he was tortured the most by the former cop. Siby Mathews, who has been named in the CBI's FIR, was granted interim bail by the Thiruvananthapuram Sessions Court last Friday and ordered not to leave the country without the permission of the court alongside cooperating in the investigation. As per local media reports, Nambi Narayanan moved as one of the respondents opposing the anticipatory bail plea filed by former DGP Siby Mathews in the Thiruvananthapuram district court. The matter is scheduled to be heard on July 7, reports added. 

CBI records Nambi Narayanan's statement

Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan said on Thursday that he only told the truth and "nothing but the truth" to the CBI team which recorded his statement in connection with their probe into the conspiracy angle behind the 1994 espionage case. "I only told the truth and nothing but the truth," Narayanan told PTI but refused to say anything more on what he told the agency.

He said that the CBI recorded his statement on June 30, but not on July 1 and that he cannot say whether the agency will be recording his statement tomorrow or any date after that. "They took my statement yesterday. Today (July 1) they did not come to me. No idea if they will record my statement tomorrow," he said.

Republic accesses CBI's FIR in ISRO spy case

In the FIR accessed by Republic on Tuesday, the CBI quoted excerpts from the Justice DK Jain-headed enquiry committee including the confinement of Mariam Rasheeda without an FIR being lodged, suppression of materials and facts from official records of investigation, registration of cases under the Officials Secrets Act, 1923 without any basis to invoke the provisions, deliberate leaking of information to the media to create a narrative to implicate the scientists of LPSC amongst other persons. 

Further, the FIR - quoting excerpts from the Justice DK Jain Committee - noted that Nambi Narayanan, K Chandrashekaran, SK Sharma were arrested without any material on record to show their involvement in the espionage case. It highlighted the torture of Nambi Narayanan and K Chandrashekaran by police officials while they were in custody. The FIR also noted that the Enquiry Committee, in its report, had mentioned representation submitted by Nambi Narayanan alleging that he was pressurised to falsely implicate his 'immediate bosses' Dr Mutthuyagnam and Prof UR Rao of the ISRO. 

It was on Thursday that the CBI filed an FIR at the Thiruvananthapuram Chief Magistrate Court, naming 18 persons in the conspiracy including former deputy director of IB RB Sreekumar and SP KK Joshua. The CBI has named several former Kerala police officers namely- S Vijayan (Pettah Circle inspector), Thampi S Durgadath Pettah Sub-Inspector), V R Rajeevan (Trivandrum CP), and Siby Mathews (ex-DGP) as prime accused. 

On April 15, the Supreme Court of India had ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the 1994 espionage case against former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist Nambi Narayanan and to file a report in 3 months. This transpired after an inquiry panel formed by the Supreme Court in 2018 submitted its report and the Centre pushed hard for action to be taken against those who framed Nambi. Narayanan, who had been acquitted in the case, was eventually awarded Rs 50 lakh as compensation by the Supreme Court in 2018.

What is the ISRO spy case?

The Kerala police had registered two cases in October 1994, after Maldivian national Rasheeda was arrested in Thiruvananthapuram for allegedly obtaining secret drawings of ISRO rocket engines to sell to Pakistan. Three individuals were arrested in connection with the case - then ISRO director Nambi Narayanan, then ISRO deputy director D Sasikumaran and Fousiya Hasan, a Maldivian friend of Rasheeda. Three months later i.e. in 1995, when Narayanan was released on bail, he had approached the National Human Rights Commission seeking compensation from the Kerala government, for the mental agony that he had suffered in the process. The CBI later dismissed the allegations against him as false.

However, the Supreme Court in 2018 termed the police action against the former ISRO scientist 'psycho-pathological treatment', and said his 'liberty and dignity', basic to his human rights, were jeopardised as he was taken into custody and, eventually, despite all the glory of the past, he was compelled to face 'cynical abhorrence'. The SC appointed a three-member panel headed by former judge D K Jain, while the Kerala government was directed to give Narayanan a compensation of Rs 50 lakh, as he underwent "immense humiliation”.

Over a period of almost two-and-a-half years, the panel headed by Justice (retd) D K Jain examined the circumstances leading to the arrest. The 79-year-old former scientist, who was given a clean chit by the CBI, had earlier said that the Kerala police had 'fabricated' the case and the technology he was charged with having stolen and sold in the 1994 case did not even exist at that time.

Narayanan had approached the apex court against a Kerala High Court judgment that said no action needed to be taken against Mathews and two retired Superintendents of Police K K Joshua and S Vijayan, who were later held responsible by the CBI for the scientist's illegal arrest.