CBI Files Charge Sheet in 1994 ISRO Espionage Case Involving Scientist Nambi Narayanan

GG News Bureau
Thiruvananthapuram, 27th June. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against five individuals in connection with the alleged framing of space scientist Nambi Narayanan in the 1994 ISRO espionage case, sources said on Wednesday. The identities of the individuals charged have not yet been disclosed.

The case was registered in 2021 following directions from the Supreme Court. On April 15, 2021, the Supreme Court had ordered that the report of a high-level committee on the role of erring police officials in the 1994 espionage case involving Narayanan be given to the CBI.

The espionage case dates back to October 1994 when the Kerala police registered two cases after Maldivian national Rasheeda was arrested in Thiruvananthapuram for allegedly obtaining secret drawings of ISRO rocket engines to sell to Pakistan. Narayanan, who was the director of the cryogenic project at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at the time, was arrested along with the then ISRO deputy director D. Sasikumaran and Fousiya Hasan, a Maldivian friend of Rasheeda.

A subsequent CBI probe found the allegations to be false. In September 2018, the Supreme Court described the police action against Narayanan as “psychopathological treatment” and stated that his “liberty and dignity,” fundamental to his human rights, were jeopardized.

The Court noted that despite his illustrious career, Narayanan was subjected to severe public scorn and ridicule due to the false accusations.