Once Called Traitor, Former ISRO Scientist Nambi Narayanan Who Was Falsely Implicated In Spy Case Awarded Padma Bhushan

Life has come full circle for Nambi Narayanan, a former top scientist at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). From dragged away in a police jeep and being called a spy to now being bestowed with the third highest civilian honour of the country.

Narayanan, who was a senior scientist at ISRO, was in charge of the cryogenics division and was leading the development of the liquid technology – a key technology in rocket propulsion that is being deployed in GSLV when he was arrested in December 1994 in the infamous ISRO espionage case.

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He and four others were arrested on charges of leaking vital defence secrets including drawings of ISRO’s Vikas engine and cryogenic technology to Pakistan to two alleged Maldivian intelligence officers, Mariam Rasheeda and Fauzia Hassan.

In the 50 days, he was in custody, Narayanan had alleged that he was tortured and pressured to give false statements to implicate others in the case.

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However, the CBI which later took over the probe found no evidence against him. When the case come up for trial it was thrown out by the CBI Court in 1996, subsequently he was exonerated by the Supreme Court in 1998 and granted him a compensation of Rs 1 lakhs.?

Narayanan challenged the compensation amount in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The Kerala High Court ordered a compensation amount of Rs 10 lakhs to be paid to Nambi Narayanan based on an appeal from NHRC India in September 2012.

In September 2018 the SC awarded a compensation of Rs 50 lakhs to him and constituted a committee headed by retired SC judge D K Jain to inquire into the role of investigating officials in implicating him.

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Though he reinstated by the ISRO after his aquitala, Narayana was never given any major position in the organization.?

Thus wasting the talent of Princeton University educated scientist who was the original architect of? ‘Vikas’ engine that is still at the heart of India’s rockets, including those in the likes of Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan.

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Many regard the 76-year-old in a league with the likes of Vikram Sarabia and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, as the best of the best space scientist India has ever produced.

It also believed that his arrest had almost derailed the Indian space mission in its infancy and India would have reached where it is now at least a decade ago if he was involved.?