The Apex Court granted compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the former ISRO scientist-Nambi Narayanan- who was falsely charged with espionage and was arrested in 1994. The SC also said, “Arrest of ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan was needless and unnecessary.”
The Apex Court observed that Nambi Narayanan had been unnecessarily harassed and suffered mental cruelty. The bench of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and D Y Chandrachud also appointed a panel to investigate the officers who were involved in harassment of an innocent ISRO scientist. The retired Supreme Court judge DK Jain will be in charge of the panel.
The panel would look into the role played by the Kerala police in the arrest of Nambi Narayanan. The Kerala police arrested him on the charges of espionage. 76 years old Nambi Narayanan challenged the judgement of division of Kerala High Court bench which had observed that there is no need to initiate the action against the former DGP and two retired Superintendents of Police, K K Joshua and S Vijayan. According to a One India report, these three police officials allegedly played a pivotal in the illegal arrest of Nambi Narayanan.
Nambi Narayanan has said the division bench had “failed to appreciate the real undercurrent that passed through the mind of the apex court, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the single judge of high court in their verdict and on untenable reasons, quashed the order of the single judge.”
The SC in 1998 granted compensation of Rs One lakh to Nambi Narayanan and others who were discharged in the case and asked the state government to pay the amount.
Later, Nambi Narayanan knocked the doors of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) demanding compensation against the state government for causing mental torture to him. He had to suffer a lot because of the state government. The NHRC, after hearing the matter, awarded an interim compensation of Rs 10 lakh on March 24, 2001.
Nambi Challenged the decision of High Court’s division bench and demanded strict action against the police officers involved in harassing an innocent citizen of India. Speaking to Indian express, he pointed out the report of CBI in which it detailed the role played by the IB officials in the entire matter. He said, “In that report, there are names of 13 officials of the IB, each of whom played a role in fabricating the case, and which eventually led to my arrest and incarceration for 50 days. Now that a committee has been appointed by the Supreme Court, all this should be inquired into.” He also added, “While I am happy that the Supreme Court has awarded compensation and has willingly accepted the CBI’s closure report, I am only partly satisfied. All I can say is, yes, some good has been done”.
Nambi Narayanan also said, “Besides the Kerala police, the role of officials of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) must also be inquired into. May be the role the media played should also be included. Everyone should be covered, not just three Kerala police officers. And the committee has to find out not only who all fabricated the case, but why they did it.”
Why did they do this? That’s an important question which needs to be addressed. According to senior BJP leader, Subramanian Swamy, “He (Nambi Narayanan) was a victim of the international jealousy against India’s capability to produce world’s cheapest satellite launching rocket launchers. Shame on UPA.”
I welcome the SC Orders on the Rocket Scientist Nambi Narayanan. He was a victim of the international jealousy against India’s capability to produce world’s cheapest satellite launching rocket launchers. Shame on UPA
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) September 14, 2018
