SC Grants Rs 50 Lakhs Compensation To Former ISRO Scientist Nambi Narayanan For Being Arrested On False Spying Charges

24 years after he was falsely arrested by the Kerala police in the sensational ISRO Espionage Case, Nambi Narayanan, one of India's top rocket scientists was awarded a compensation of Rs 50 lakhs by the Supreme Court.

Calling his arrest by Kerala Police in the case in 1994 needless and unnecessary, the SC on Thursday also constituted a committee headed by retired SC judge D K Jain to inquire into the role of investigating officials.

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The Apex Court order came in a petition moved by the 76-year-old scientists against an against Kerala High Court order which said that no action was required against the investigating officers — former DGP Siby Mathews and former SPs K K Joshua and S Vijayan.?

In his complaint, Narayanan had accused the Kerala Police and the IB of torturing and extracting statements from him.

The case dates back to 1994 when Narayanana, who was the then in-charge of ISRO's cryogenics division 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, in 1996, the CBI found him not guilty in the case and 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.

Narayana later moved the SC and in May this year, in an unusual observation, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court said they were considering ordering the persons involved in the investigation to pay the compensation.?

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“We can direct compensation to be paid by persons involved in the investigation… We will require the state to recover the compensation from their properties…” Chief Justice Dipak Mishra added, “Let them sell their houses and pay. We are not concerned.”

Going further, the Bench said, “We will clarify in our order that his reputation was dented… by this judgement, his reputation is reinstated.”?

But on Friday the court said the compensations should be given by the Kerala government, adding that Narayanan can go for appeal if he wishes so.

“State of Kerala to pay a sum of Rs. 50 lakhs towards compensation to the appellant and, accordingly, it is so ordered. The said amount shall be paid within eight weeks by the State. We hasten to clarify that the appellant, if so advised, may proceed with the civil suit wherein he has claimed more compensation. We have not expressed any opinion on the merits of the suit," the court said.