English हिन्दी
Connect with us

India News

ISRO fake spy case: SC awards 50 lakh compensation to scientist, sets up panel for probe

Published

on

ISRO fake spy case: SC awards 50 lakh compensation to scientist, sets up panel for probe

The Supreme Court on Friday, September 14, held that the arrest of ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan was needless and unnecessary and, acknowledging that he was subjected to immense mental and physical torture, awarded him a compensation of Rs.50 lakh.

A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra also ordered the setting up three-member panel headed by former Supreme Court judge DK Jain to probe the framing of Narayanan in the spy case and ascertain whether action needs to be taken against erring police officials. Of the two other members, one each would be nominated by the Centre and the State of Kerala.

The order comes as another victory for the former Indian scientist who had been fighting a 24-year-long battle for justice after he was falsely charged with espionage.

“You cannot call me a criminal, traitor anymore… They (Kerala Police) should be ashamed of what they have done… It caused tremendous mental torture and humiliation…. The Supreme Court judgement has brought me peace of mind … I am very old now… I want to spend some time at least now with my family,” Narayanan told NDTV.

Narayanan, who was cleared of all charges by the CBI and the Supreme Court earlier, had sought action against senior police officials for framing him and his colleague in the infamous ISRO spy scandal.

The scandal not only ruined the careers of two brilliant scientists — Narayanan and D Sasi Kumar  — but also set back by decades the progress in the cryogenic engine development programme, which was meant to power the heavy lift Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) for deploying heavy communication satellites.

Nambi Narayanan was a scientist at ISRO and was in charge of the Cryogenics division. He is said to have introduced the liquid fuel rocket technology in India in the early 1970s.

In 1994, he was falsely accused of leaking defence secrets to enemy countries and was arrested by the Kerala Police on allegations of espionage under the Official Secrets Act on November 30, 1994.

Nambi Narayanan and another scientist, D Sasikumaran, were accused of selling ISRO secrets for millions to two alleged Maldivian intelligence officers. Defense officials claimed the secrets involved highly confidential “flight test data” from experiments with rocket and satellite launches.

Narayanan was arrested and spent 50 days in jail.

The CBI, which took over the probe from the Kerala Police in 1996, said the case against Nambi Narayanan was baseless, and closed it. The CBI report also listed several lapses committed by the police officers and recommended action against them.

Narayanan was acquitted of all charges in 1998 and the top court granted compensation of Rs. 1 lakh to him and others who were discharged in the ISRO spy case. The state government was directed to pay the amount.

He had then initiated litigation for action against erring police officials who had framed the false case against him. He had accused the Kerala Police and Intelligence Bureau of torturing him with a view to extracting statements from him.

He first approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) seeking compensation for the torture and agony inflicted upon him. The NHRC had awarded him an interim compensation of Rs. 10 lakh.

However, a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court had turned down his plea for action against erring police officials. Narayanan had approached the apex court against a Kerala High Court’s judgment, stating that no action was required against officers associated with the investigation — former DGP Siby Mathews and former SPs KK Joshua and S Vijayan. All the officers have retired. Narayanan sought action against police officers who probed the espionage case against him.

False case was sabotage by foreign agency, says Narayanan

Narayanan, in his autobiography, says the spy case was actually a US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) plan to sabotage a crucial ISRO project, according to a report in the FirstPost. He says that after the whole spy angle came into play, the scientist’s questioning was taken over by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) whose real target was the ISRO, with the Indian intelligence officers acting in connivance with the CIA.

He claims that at the time the US was dead against India developing an indigenous rocket launch technology as it would have harmed its commercial interests in space research. The US not only denied India the technological know-how but also pressured Glavkosmos, an official space affairs entity of the former Soviet Union, to abandon the deal relating to the exchange of technology.

The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) led by the US contended that the cryogenic engines could be used by used by India to power its military. However, as a report in The Wire points out, that a cryogenic engine was especially unequipped to deal with military situations as it takes days to fuel the engine whereas military equipment usually needs to be ready to use on short notice.

The report stated that had the deal gone through in the 1980s, it would have cost India only Rs 230 crore.

After the technology was denied, a group of scientists led by Narayanan started working to perfect an indigenous cryogenic engine when the CIA moved in and sabotaged the project.

“If ISRO had achieved cryogenic engine technology, the organisation would by now have been in a position to return to government billions of dollars,” he said referring to the commercial aspect of the technology. The main objective of those behind the case was clear and it was to ‘demoralise’ Indian scientists, he pointed out.

India News

Mohan Yadav to take oath as next Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh

Prior to this, his predecessor Shivraj Singh Chouhan insisted he was not running for the position of chief minister.

Published

on

Days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) overthrew the Congress in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and stormed back to power in the state, Mohan Yadav Is named chief minister of Madhya Pradesh on Monday. In the three states, this is the second announcement.

A BJP legislative party gathering in Bhopal was held, ten days after the election results were declared, selected him for the position. Prior to this, his predecessor Shivraj Singh Chouhan insisted he was not running for the position of chief minister.

Narendra Singh Tomar, the union minister who resigned after being elected to the house, is appointed as the new assembly speaker. 

The outgoing deputy chief ministers are Jagdish Devda, the finance minister and two-time Mandsaur MLA, and Rajendra Shukla, the outgoing MLA for public relations from Rewa.

After being named as the next CM of Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav said, he is a party employee of modest size. He also said, he want to thank the central leadership as well as the state leadership. Yadav futher mentioned, he will try to fulfil his responsibilities with your love and support. I am the chief minister-elect, he added.

The winning MLA-elects received information on the names by BJP observers, which included national secretary Asha Lakra, BJP OBC Morcha president K Laxman, and Haryana state minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Under the Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet, Mohan Yadav was the minister of higher education and was supported by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Once sworn in, Yadav would follow Sunderlal Patwa, Uma Bharti, Babulal Gaur, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the fifth chief minister from the BJP. Chouhan was the CM for more than 16 years out of these.

In the 2018 Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Mohan Yadav was re-elected, marking the beginning of his political career. He was first elected as an MLA in 2013.

On July 2, 2020, Yadav took the oath of office as a cabinet minister in the government headed by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, thus solidifying his position of influence within the political landscape of the state.

Mohan Yadav was born in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, on March 25, 1965, and has long been connected to the BJP. In addition to his political pursuits, he has a successful business-related career.

Continue Reading

India News

Supreme Court upholds Centre’s decision to scrap Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, PM Modi reacts

Additionally, the Election Commission of India was ordered by the Supreme Court to schedule assembly elections for Jammu and Kashmir by September 30, 2024.

Published

on

The Supreme Court on Monday confirmed the Center’s decision to revoke Article 370, which gave the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir unique status.

Additionally, the Election Commission of India was ordered by the Supreme Court to schedule assembly elections for Jammu and Kashmir by September 30, 2024.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also today celebrated the decision of the Supreme Court against the Center’s plan to repeal Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The Supreme Court rendered a decision on an array of appeals contesting the constitutionality of the legislation’s removal of J&K’s special status. 

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, PM Modi wrote, today’s Supreme Court verdict on the abrogation of Article 370 is historic and constitutionally upholds the decision taken by the Parliament of India on 5th August 2019; it is a resounding declaration of hope, progress and unity for our sisters and brothers in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

PM Modi also said, the Court, in its profound wisdom, has fortified the very essence of unity that we, as Indians, hold dear and cherish above all else.

The verdict today is not just a legal judgement; it is a beacon of hope, a promise of a brighter future and a testament to our collective resolve to build a stronger, more united India, he added.

JP Nadda, national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said the party was happy with the high court’s ruling.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is pleased with the Supreme Court’s ruling on Article 370. The Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench has upheld the decision to abolish Sections 370 and 35A, as well as the reasoning behind it, Nadda wrote on X.

Separatism and stone-pelting are now things of the past, according to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who said that following the abrogation, the rights of the impoverished and downtrodden have been restored.

Now, pleasant music and cultural tourism reverberate across the entire area. The integrity with Bharat is intact, and the ties of oneness have become stronger. Once more, Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh are and always will be part of our country, Amit said on Twitter.

Continue Reading

India News

Article 370: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti put under house arrest ahead of Supreme Court verdict

According to officials, police prevented media from congregating close to the homes of National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah in Gupkar.

Published

on

Former CM Jammu and Kashmir and the president of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti, was placed under house arrest on Monday, December 11.

Her party said that before the Supreme Court’s decision on an array of cases contesting the repeal of Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted Jammu and Kashmir special status, their chief had been kept under hosuse arrest.

Taking to X account (formerly Twitter) of PDP, her party twitted, even before Supreme Court judgement is pronounced, police has sealed the doors of the residence of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and put her under illegal house arrest.

According to officials, police prevented media from congregating close to the homes of National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah in Gupkar.

Journalists were not permitted anywhere near the NC leaders’ home, and a posse of police officers had been stationed at the Gupkar Road entrance.

Omar Abdullah moved out of his official house in October 2020 and now resides with his father.

However, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha referred to the reports as baseless and denied that Mufti and Omar Abdullah had been placed under house arrest.

This is completely unfounded. In Jammu and Kashmir, no one has been detained or placed under house arrest for political purposes. It’s a rumor-mongering attempt, he said.

Farooq Abdullah, Srinagar’s Member of Parliament (MP), is in Delhi for the current session of Parliament; his son is in the valley.

After the Centre enacted measures to deprive Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and divide the former state into two Union Territories (UTs)—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh—Mufti, Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah, and other leaders of the Kashmiri community were taken into custody on August 5, 2019.

Continue Reading

Trending

-->

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com