Kerala HC Grants Anticipatory Bail To Former Cop In ISRO Spy Case

The Kerala High Court has granted anticipatory bail to a former DGP, Sibi Mathews, who is accused of framing scientist S. Nambi Narayanan in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) spy case.

The High Court received notification from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that the 1994 espionage case against ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan was untrue and that his incarceration was unlawful.

The Court has granted anticipatory bail to other petitioners as well. Nevertheless, the petitioners will need to appear before the CBI for questioning as the agency is still investigating the case.

Nambi Narayana’s advocate informed the court that the case was brought to stop the cryogenic engine, which was essential for India’s space exploration programme.

This statement was given as the Kerala High Court heard the CBI’s complaint against the officials who investigated Nambi Narayanan in the 1990s.

What is ISRO spy case?

The conspiracy case dates back to 1994 when S. Nambi Narayanan and another scientist, D. Sasikumaran, were accused of selling classified information about India’s cryogenic engine programme to Russia and Pakistan.

The Indian space agency’s expansion was roughly 20 years delayed by the bogus case, and India’s scientific advancements in space exploration were also delayed by several decades. According to Nambi Narayan, who was set to become the next ISRO chairman accused the United States and its espionage agency Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of falsifying the case. This prevented India from launching multibillion dollar commercial space missions.

Senior Kerala Police officials like Raman Srivastava and Siby Mathews IPS, as well as a daily newspaper from Kerala named Malavala Manorama, all played significant roles in fabricating the story and disseminating propaganda about the spy case against ISRO Indian scientist Nambi Narayanan. A.K. Antony and Oommen Chandy led the “A” group caucus within the Indian National Congress in Kerala.