ISRO spy case: SC orders compensation of Rs 50 lakh to former scientist

New Delhi, Sep 14: The Supreme Court has directed the payment of Rs 50 lakh as compensation to former ISRO scientist, Nambi Narayan.

The court observed that he had been unnecessarily harassed and had suffered mental cruelty. The court also appointed a panel headed by a retired judge to probe the officers who caused harassment for Narayan. The panel would be headed by retired SC judge, D K Jain.

The panel would inquire into the role played by the Kerala cops in the arrest of Narayan. The former scientist was arrested by the Kerala police nearly 24 years back on the allegation that he was involved in the ISRO spy case.

The 76-year-old former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan filed an appeal against the judgement of division bench of the Kerala High Court which had said no action was required to be taken against the former DGP and two retired Superintendents of Police, K K Joshua and S Vijayan, who were held allegedly responsible by the CBI for his illegal arrest

He has said the division bench had "failed to appreciate the real undercurrent that passed through the mind of the apex court, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the single judge of high court in their verdict and on untenable reasons, quashed the order of the single judge"

The SC had in 1998 granted compensation of Rs one lakh to Narayanan and others who were discharged in the case and directed the state government to pay the amount

Later, Narayanan had approached NHRC claiming compensation against the state government for mental agony and torture suffered by him

The NHRC, after hearing both sides and taking into account the apex court judgement of April 29, 1998 awarded an interim compensation of Rs 10 lakh on March 14, 2001

Challenging the legality of the high court's division bench order, he had said it was "bad in law" and sought an interim stay contending that "the illegality in the judgement impugned, if allowed to perpetuate, would only encourage the unlawful action and mindset on the part of the Kerala police to harass innocent persons for extraneous considerations

"And unless action as suggested by the CBI is immediately taken, (possibly under the provisions of Section 195 of the IPC if for any justifiable reason departmental action could not be taken), the innocent public would suffer at the hands of the Police."

Narayanan has said it was hence "appropriate that the impugned judgement of March 4, 2015 of the High Court of Kerala... is stayed and the State Government initiate action as deemed necessary during the pendency of this SLP.