ISRO case: Framed scientist passes away without hearing the judgement

Bengaluru, Sep 18: Just hours before the Supreme court's verdict of the 1998 espionage case, one among the 8 convicted scientists of ISRO, K Chandrashekhar slipped into coma. When the judgement that he wanted to hear for the past two decades finally arrived, he was no longer present to cherish it.

The story of scientist K Chandrashekhar, who for almost two decades had to live confined into the house with a fear of being called as a traitor is a mirror reflection of Indian judiciary system. All his life all he wanted was to prove to the world that he was innocent and when it finally happened on Friday (Sep 14), the 76- year old scientist slipped into coma and passed away on Sunday, without having any knowledge of the judgement where the Supreme court said that the arrest of the scientists was 'unnecessary'.

K Chandrashekhar was the former India's representative to Russian space agency Glavkosmos . He was one among the seven accused in the 1994 Isro spy case. The espionage case, which hit the headlines in 1994, pertained to allegations of transfer of certain confidential documents on India's space programme to foreign countries by two scientists and four others, including two Maldivian women. The case was first investigated by the state police and later handed over to the CBI, which found no espionage as was alleged to have taken place.

K Chandrashekhar had retired into his house in Bengaluru and was rarely seen in public platforms. He lived a silent jlife along with his wife. The scientist who once represented India as part of delegations to various countries, lived a lavish life until the ill fated spy case started hovering him. He was called a traitor and was shamed nationally.