Real-Life Story Of Nambi Narayanan, 80-Year-Old Rocket Scientist Who Is Still Awaiting Justice

R Madhavan's directorial debut Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, was released on July 1 and since then it has been making waves. The film, for the uninitiated, is a biographical drama based on the life of an aerospace engineer Nambi Narayanan who was working with ISRO and was accused in an alleged espionage case.

Shah Rukh Khan was so impressed with the film that he requested Madhavan to be a part of it. Hence, he was brought on board and he didn't even charge anything for his cameo.

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But who is Nambi Narayan, the 80-year-old rocket scientist who is still awaiting justice?

It all started in the year 1994. Nambi Narayanan who was leading ISRO's cryogenic engine project had no idea that his life will take a turn for the worse and his career will be altered forever.

Narayanan was accused of being a spy, who transferred drawings and documents of rocket engines to Pakistan via two Maldivian women, Mariam Rasheeda and Fauziyya Hassan, who were suspected to be spies.

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He was in judicial custody for 11 days. It turned into an espionage case. "I was in a shock, and then a trance. At one instance it appeared to me that I was watching a movie - with me as the central character," he wrote in his memoir.

It is said that Narayanan was beaten up, handcuffed to bed and made to stand for 30 hours by the interrogators. He even went through a lie detector test but the report was not submitted in court.

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Madhavan who has written, directed and acted in the movie told Bollywood Hungama, "We've actually shown a very small part of his torture and interrogation. In reality this exceptionally brave and honest man struggled for eight years to get justice. If we showed everything that he went through the film would have become too dark and morbid. We wanted to make sure that Nambi Sir¡¯s story reached the remotest corners of the world. I was very apprehensive about one thing."

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Nambi Narayana's bail

Nambi was charged with violating India's official secret law, corruption, and other offences. Narayanan still ended up spending 50 days in jail. He not only lost his dignity, he was labelled a traitor by everyone. In 1995, he was released on bail.

The case went on for sixteen months. Narayanan along with five others accused in the case was acquitted in May 1996. The CBI in its report concluded that the entire case was false and fabricated and had no iota of evidence to back any of the allegations that were put forth.

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Then why was he arrested, if the entire case was false and fabricated?

As per Nambi Narayanan, he was arrested as a part of US-based conspiracy.

The ISRO, in 1990s was developing PSLV rocket that needed a cryogenic engine for power and could carry heavier satellites and go deeper into space. Thus, India had signed a deal with a Russian agency for the cryogenic technology, which was opposed by the US. Later, India planned to develop the technology indigenously. Nambi said he was framed as part of the US-backed conspiracy to destroy India's development of the cryogenic engine.

Kerala government reopened the case

Months after his acquittal, Kerala government reopened the case ordering further investigation. Nambi challenged the case which was then quashed by the Supreme Court in March 1998.

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In 1999, Nambi Narayanan sought compensation

He sought compensation for being framed and action against those who fabricated the case.

After years of wait, in 2012, he was paid a compensation of Rs 10 lakh by state government on orders of Kerala High Court. In 2018, he was awarded Rs 50 lakh as compensation for harassment and mental cruelty. The Supreme Court also ordered a probe against Kerala police for falsely implicating Nambi and others in the case. Meanwhile, Narayanan was awarded Rs 1.3 crores by a sub-court in Kerala for damages for his illegal arrest and harassment.

In April 2021, the special committee constituted by the apex court submitted its report stating it was all a conspiracy. It also recommended a detailed investigation. Following this, CBI re-investigated the case and FIR was registered against 18 former officers of the Kerala police. The case remains pending in court. And so, Nambi Narayanan is still awaiting justice.

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