Antrix-Devas deal: CBI to probe ex-ISRO bosses including Madhavan Nair

The central bureau of investigation on Monday said that it had the sanction to prosecute three officials of the ISRO accused in the Antrix-Devas deal. In a submission to a special court on Monday, the CBI saif that it had the nod to probe former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair, former director A Bhaskar Narayana Rao and former Antrix executive director K R Sridhara Murthi.

The CBI has also booked former MD of US-based Forge Advisors and Devas CEO Ramachandra Vishwanathan for criminal comspiracy along with three other former directors of the firm. All four have been accused of conspiracy to cause undue gains by abusing their official position and causing loss to Antrix Corp and ISRO

The CBI in March 2015 had filed an FIR against Madhavan Nair and his accomplices. The probe agency had alleged that through the deal, ISRO's commercial arm Antrix had facilitated illegal profits worth Rs 578 crore to a private multi-media company, Devas. The 2005 deal also saw an early exit of Nair from the post of ISRO chairman, as he headed Antrix's governing council then.

The court will next hear the case of June 1. The CBI is probing a case related to S-Band leasing. The band is a restricted wavelength of the INSAT satellites aimed at delivering video, multimedia and information services to mobile receivers in vehicles and mobile phones to Devas by Antrix.

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