False implication of Nambi Narayanan delayed India’s cryo-tech improvement: CBI to Kerala High Court

By PTI
KOCHI: The CBI on Wednesday opposed within the Kerala High Court the bail pleas by two former Kerala Police officers, who have been concerned within the arrest of former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan in a 1994 espionage case, saying they falsely implicated him in a “concocted case” which led to delay in improvement of India’s cryogenic know-how.

CBI has stated that the offences towards the 2 accused have been severe in nature as they each “played an active role and concocted an espionage case in pursuance of the conspiracy with the other accused in the FIR (registered by CBI) and other unknown persons”.

“The nature and gravity of the offences, alleged against the petitioners (S Vijayan and Thampi S Durga Dutt) also had a big impact on the technological development of cryogenic technology, which was delayed due to false implication of Nambi Narayanan and news related to it,” it has stated.

It has additional stated that “since it is related to national interest and crime against a scientist has been committed, society at large has an interest in this case.”

CBI’s submissions have been made in its assertion, filed by way of Assistant Solicitor General P Vijayakumar, opposing the anticipatory bail plea collectively moved by retired Kerala Police officers S Vijayan and Thampi S Durga Dutt who have been a part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which arrested the scientist.

Their anticipatory bail plea is prone to be heard on Thursday by the High Court.

Meanwhile, a single choose bench of Justice Ok Haripal on Wednesday prolonged the interim safety from arrest granted on June 23 to P S Jayaprakash, a retired IB officer, who can be an accused within the case registered by CBI.

Besides Vijayan and Dutt, 16 others, together with Intelligence Bureau (IB) officers are named as accused within the case registered by the company for varied offences, together with felony conspiracy, kidnapping and fabrication of proof, beneath the Indian Penal Code, in reference to arrest and detention of Narayanan.

CBI, additionally represented by central authorities counsel Suvin R Menon, has contended that the interim bail plea has been moved by the 2 retired Kerala Police officers to “scuttle the due process of law” and it was “premature” and “not sustainable”.

“It is just being filed with the sole motive to get away from the clutches of law,” the company has stated.

CBI has contended that it has purpose to imagine that after interim bails are granted to them, they won’t cooperate with the probe and “will derail the pace of the investigation”.

“The agency has further claimed that many of the witnesses would be those in uniform or in government service and since the two accused “are nonetheless very influential”, granting anticipatory bail to them “will induce concern within the minds of possible witnesses”.

The Supreme Court had on April 15 ordered that the report of a high-level committee on the position of erring police officers within the espionage case referring to Narayanan be given to the CBI and directed the company to conduct additional investigation on the problem.

The three-member committee, headed by former apex court docket choose Justice (retd) D Ok Jain, was appointed by the highest court docket in 2018 after acquitting Narayanan within the case.

The Supreme Court had additionally directed the Kerala authorities to pay Rs 50 lakh as compensation for compelling Narayanan to bear “immense humiliation”.

The espionage case, which had hit the headlines then, pertained to allegations of switch of sure confidential paperwork on India’s house programme to international nations by two scientists and 4 others, together with two Maldivian ladies.

The CBI, in its probe again then, had held that the then prime police officers in Kerala have been chargeable for Narayanan’s unlawful arrest.

The case additionally had a political fallout, with a piece in Congress focusing on the then Chief Minister late Ok Karunakaran over the problem, that ultimately led to his resignation.