ISRO Espionage Case: Kerala HC grants anticipatory bail to former Gujarat DGP, 3 others

In connection with the 1994 ISRO espionage case, the Kerala High Court has granted anticipatory bail to former Gujarat DGP RB Sreekumar, and many others involved in the case. The case was registered by The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the former Gujarat DGP, two former Kerala Police officers S Vijayan and Thampi S Durga Dutt, and retired IB Officer PS Jayaprakash. The bail was granted on Friday by a single bench chaired by Justice Ashok Menon. Former DGP Sreekumar is the seventh accused in the case, along with former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who was acquitted in 2018. 

Earlier, CBI had also informed the Kerala HC of suspecting the involvement of several “enemy countries” in the espionage case followed by an FIR against 18 individuals including police officials for planning the conspiracy. 

ISRO Espionage Case

The case took place around 1994 when allegations of transferring confidential documents on India's space programme to foreign countries were levied on two Indian scientists. Two Maldivian women named Rasheeda and Fousiya Hasan were also accused in the case. Later, Rasheeda was arrested from Thiruvananthapuram for obtaining secret drawings of ISRO rocket engines with an aim of selling them to Pakistan. 

At that time, the then director of the cryogenic project at ISRO, Narayanan was arrested with the Deputy Director of ISRO, D Sasikumaran. Narayanan was later given a clean chit after which he sought legal action against the police officers for involving him in the espionage case. His appeal, however, was rejected on the basis that no action was required against the officials.

He then went to the Supreme Court where his plea was accepted and the Apex Court directed for an investigation followed by the appointment of an inquiry commission. SC also directed the CBI to conduct an investigation and later 18 former police and several Intelligence Bureau officials were charged with allegations. 

(Image Credits: PTI)