Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who was implicated in the infamous 1994 espionage case, has been waiting for justice for the last 20 years. He will have to wait just a little longer.
Narayanan had approached the Supreme Court, seeking action against police personnel who had allegedly tortured him. The petition has arraigned former Kerala ADGP Siby Mathews, K.K. Joshwa and S. Vijayan, both of whom had retired in senior positions in the police.
Though a judgment was expected on Friday, the case was postponed to August. The SC has now asked the state government to file an affidavit in this regard, as Narayanan had sought compensation from the latter.
The Kerala police had arrested him in 1994, alleging that Narayanan had passed on cryogenic rocket technology to Pakistan. The police had also worked in the angle of honeytrap—involving two Maldives woman in the case—making it all the more spicier. Narayanan was kept in police custody for nearly two months where he was allegedly subjected to third degree torture.
The case had acquired such a huge proportion that it had a fallout on the state politics too. The then Congress CM K. Karunakaran had to resign and he was replaced by his bete noire A.K. Antony.
Meanwhile, the CBI, which took over the case from state police, found that all the allegations against him were fabricated and the SC upheld the findings. But, by then , Narayanan had lost a lot in his life – both professionally and personally.
"All those years are lost...," Narayanan told the WEEK.
Narayanan approached the court in 1997 to initiate criminal action against three former top police officers for allegedly fabricating the case against him. He cited the CBI report, which had clearly pointed out the lapses on the part of IB officials and Kerala police and recommended action. The court directed the government to take action in a just and legal manner.
But successive governments sat on the file and later decided not to act against the erring Kerala police officials. Nambi approached the court against the government move and the SC gave directions to the state, following which a committee was formed to look into the matter. But the officials involved filed a writ appeal before a division bench of Kerala High Court, which set aside the judgment of the single judge.
Narayanan again knocked the doors of SC against the order of the division bench. Challenging the legality of the High Court division bench order, Narayanan had argued that “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”.
The case has been pending since then. It was earlier slated for February. But then it got postponed to April. Now, again it has been postponed.
But Narayanan is not complaining. "Such is our system. It takes its own time. Even a single person can delay the delivery of justice to any length," he told The WEEK.
The unexpected twists and turns in life seems to have made him a spiritual man. "I have no vendetta against anyone. But I want justice," he said.
Talking about the last twenty years, he said that the wait had been painful. According to him, it is his belief that truth will prevail that kept him going in the last twenty years.
"I am still hopeful that justice will prevail. Truth is powerful. Nobody can wish it away," Narayanan said.