Ex-scientist hails HC move to drop charges in spying case

KOCHI: Ex-scientist of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Nambi Narayanan, who was falsely implicated in a spying case in 1994, welcomed the Kerala High Court decision on Monday dismissing a plea by a former police officer, who had alleged that the ex-scientist had influenced a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against him.

Narayanan also stated that those who levelled allegations are trying to stall the main investigation. “They are trying to buy some time and stall the main investigation by the CBI. It was anticipated and no courts will accept this. He is telling that I tried to influence the CBI by buying their lands.

“He is trying to drag it,” Narayanan told media persons on Monday.

“They’re cornered. This is what they have been doing since past 27 years,” he said.

Former Kerala Police officer S Vijayan had alleged that Narayanan influenced the CBI probe by entering into land deals worth millions of Rupees with the then investigating officers of the agency.

He had also argued before the High Court that he had placed before the trial court encumbrance certificates of several acres of land in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu which show Narayanan or his son as the power of attorney holders.

According to Vijayan, these lands were sold to the CBI officials. In his verdict, Justice R Narayana Pisharodi dismissed Vijayan’s charges and a detailed order is awaited.

Vijayan, along with 17 other former Kerala Police and IB officials, is facing a CBI probe for allegedly falsely implicating Narayanan and some others in the 1994 spying case.

Vijayan and three others were granted anticipatory bail by the High Court in August in the CBI’S conspiracy case against them.

Besides the four, 14 others are named as accused in the case for various offences, including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and fabrication of evidence in connection with the arrest and detention of Narayanan in the espionage case.

Apart from Narayanan, two Maldivian women were also arrested and detained in the ISRO espionage case. The two women, Mariyam Rasheeda and Fouziya Hassan, were jailed for over three years before being released.