SC: CBI to probe ISRO spy case

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a CBI probe into the involvement of Kerala police officers in framing Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist Nambi Narayanan in an alleged espionage case more than two decades ago.

A bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar also comprising Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and

Krishna Murari asked acting CBI Director to take charge of the case and treat the inquiry report given by the former top court judge Justice D.K. Jain panel as a preliminary inquiry report for further investigations.

The Court directed the investigating agency to file a status report on its investigation within three months and the report should be kept confidential and not made public.

While the court observed that the police officials involved in the framing of Nambi Narayanan have been identified and the report brings out acts of omission and commission, the CBI told the court that something serious has happened.

Justice Jain committee had inquired into the role of the Kerala Police officers in the wrongful arrest of Nambi Narayanan in a 1994 espionage case.

The top court by its September 14, 2018, order had also set-up a Justice Jain committee to inquire into the role of erring officials who Narayanan said had implicated him in the alleged ISRO spy case.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra, (since retired), Justice A.M.Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y.Chandrachud by its September 14, 2018, order had awarded `50 lakh compensation to Nambi Narayanan for his “wrongful imprisonment, malicious prosecution, the humiliation and the defamation.”