The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the role of the police officers involved in the illegal arrest of former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist Nambi Narayanan in 1994 espionage case.
The top court ordered that the report of a high-level committee probing the police’s report be handed over to the CBI.
The court said the CBI may treat the panel’s findings as part of a preliminary investigation. The CBI will submit its report to the court within three months.
A bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar said the three-member panel’s report should be kept in a sealed cover and should not be published. Former SC judge, Justice DK Jain was heading the high-level panel.
The SC had asked the high-level committee to take appropriate steps against the culpable officers for causing "tremendous harassment" and "immeasurable anguish" to scientist Nambi Narayanan. It had also directed the Centre and government of Kerala to nominate one officer each in the committee.
On April 5, the Centre moved the Supreme Court seeking urgent hearing and consideration of the panel's report terming it a “national issue”. The panel was formed by the SC itself on September 14, 2018, after directing the Kerala government to compensate Narayanan for compelling him to undergo "intense humiliation". Narayanan was awarded Rs 50 lakh compensation.
The CBI, earlier in its probe, had held that the then top Kerala police officers were responsible for Narayanan's illegal arrest.
The espionage case involved an alleged transfer of certain confidential documents on India's space programme to foreign countries by two scientists and four others, including two Maldivian women.
