Nambi Narayanan, 74, was in his fifties when he was first arrested on trumped-up charges of espionage. But he didn't give up.
Twenty-four years later, the Supreme Court awarded the former scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation a compensation of Rs 50 lakh. Narayanan, in an interview to BloombergQuint from his home in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, said he is satisfied that his name is finally cleared. “It's not the money which matters.”
The Kerala Police, in 1994, charged Narayanan with leaking Indian defence secrets to Maldivian intelligence officers. The “secrets” pertained to flight test data from rocket-launch experiments.
The Supreme Court order details the “malicious prosecution” that led to Narayanan spending 50 days in custody. The fallout was permanent. His career was over and reputation in tatters. “You can commit suicide, run away or keep crying at a time like this,” he said.
The Central Bureau of Investigation had dropped charges against him in 1996. Yet, Narayanan decided to pursue cases against the policemen who wrongfully accused him. The Supreme not only cleared his name but also indicted the police for the bungled-up probe. Narayanan said he will continue to pursue civil claims worth Rs 1 crore against the Kerala government.
It's a precedent for the police people who were under the impression that they can do anything and get away with it.Nambi Narayanan, Former ISRO Scientist
Watch The Full Interview Here:
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