ISRO espionage case: SC units apart anticipatory bail of 4 former officers; asks HC to contemplate bail pleas afresh

By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday requested the Kerala HC to contemplate afresh anticipatory bail pleas of former Gujarat DGP RB Sreekumar, two former cops of Kerala, S Vijayan and Thampi S Durga Dutt, and a retired intelligence official P S Jayaprakash accused of hatching a conspiracy to border former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayan and others within the ISRO espionage case.

The retired Kerala Police officers S Vijayan and Thampi S Durga Dutt had been a part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which arrested the scientist.

The bench led by Justice MR Shah whereas setting apart HC’s order requested it to rethink their pleas inside 4 weeks. It additional granted interim safety from arrest to the accused for 5 weeks and until the HC decides their pleas topic to them cooperating within the investigation.

Court’s order got here in a plea filed by CBI difficult Kerala HC’s April 16 order granting them anticipatory bail. HC whereas granting them bail had noticed that considerations of the Kerala police at that stage concerning the espionage case can’t be stated to be with out foundation.

“Some of the documents which have been produced for perusal indicate that there were certain suspicious circumstances pointing towards the act of the Scientists in the ISRO and that is what induced the officers to proceed against them”, Justice Ashok Menon had famous within the order.

The High Court additionally remarked that there was “not even a scintilla of evidence” to counsel that the petitioners accused of implicating former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan within the espionage case had been influenced by international parts.

Challenging the bail, the probe company had contended that the HC had granted anticipatory bail on the bottom that the matter was outdated. ASG SV Raju had added that regardless of the offence which was dedicated 25 years in the past, high courtroom had directed for registration of FIR and it was not open for the HC to grant bail on this floor. On the opposite hand, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal for the then IB officer, argued accused was charged for “bailable offences”. He additionally added that there was no allegation towards him within the FIR and there was no foundation for the probe company to take him into custody.

Narayanan and 6 others had been accused of promoting secrets and techniques pertaining to ISRO’s cryogenic programme to girls who had been allegedly spying for Russia, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and different international locations. In 1994, he and two different businessmen had been arrested on the costs of espionage.

In September 2018, the Supreme Court had held that the prosecution initiated by Kerala Police within the 1990’s in relation to the ISRO Espionage Case was maliciously moved towards the Scientist, inflicting him immense humiliation. As a results of this, the Kerala Government was directed to pay compensation of Rs. 50 lac to Narayanan. Further to this, a three-member committee was constituted to probe into the unlawful arrest of Narayanan.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday requested the Kerala HC to contemplate afresh anticipatory bail pleas of former Gujarat DGP RB Sreekumar, two former cops of Kerala, S Vijayan and Thampi S Durga Dutt, and a retired intelligence official P S Jayaprakash accused of hatching a conspiracy to border former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayan and others within the ISRO espionage case.

The retired Kerala Police officers S Vijayan and Thampi S Durga Dutt had been a part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which arrested the scientist.

The bench led by Justice MR Shah whereas setting apart HC’s order requested it to rethink their pleas inside 4 weeks. It additional granted interim safety from arrest to the accused for 5 weeks and until the HC decides their pleas topic to them cooperating within the investigation.

Court’s order got here in a plea filed by CBI difficult Kerala HC’s April 16 order granting them anticipatory bail. HC whereas granting them bail had noticed that considerations of the Kerala police at that stage concerning the espionage case can’t be stated to be with out foundation.

“Some of the documents which have been produced for perusal indicate that there were certain suspicious circumstances pointing towards the act of the Scientists in the ISRO and that is what induced the officers to proceed against them”, Justice Ashok Menon had famous within the order.

The High Court additionally remarked that there was “not even a scintilla of evidence” to counsel that the petitioners accused of implicating former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan within the espionage case had been influenced by international parts.

Challenging the bail, the probe company had contended that the HC had granted anticipatory bail on the bottom that the matter was outdated. ASG SV Raju had added that regardless of the offence which was dedicated 25 years in the past, high courtroom had directed for registration of FIR and it was not open for the HC to grant bail on this floor. On the opposite hand, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal for the then IB officer, argued accused was charged for “bailable offences”. He additionally added that there was no allegation towards him within the FIR and there was no foundation for the probe company to take him into custody.

Narayanan and 6 others had been accused of promoting secrets and techniques pertaining to ISRO’s cryogenic programme to girls who had been allegedly spying for Russia, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and different international locations. In 1994, he and two different businessmen had been arrested on the costs of espionage.

In September 2018, the Supreme Court had held that the prosecution initiated by Kerala Police within the 1990’s in relation to the ISRO Espionage Case was maliciously moved towards the Scientist, inflicting him immense humiliation. As a results of this, the Kerala Government was directed to pay compensation of Rs. 50 lac to Narayanan. Further to this, a three-member committee was constituted to probe into the unlawful arrest of Narayanan.