Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan received compensation of Rs 50 lakh from the Kerala government on Tuesday, asa directed by the Supreme Court. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presented the compensation himself to the scientist, who was wrongly accused of spying on India, thus plunging his life and career in uncertainty.
“It is said that the case was a political game to pull down K Karunakaran from the Chief Minister post, but from deep within my mind I have the feeling that there was another force behind the case. That force had come and gone,” Nambi Narayanan said.
“The cryogenic programme in India had gone back by several years after the case; the programme was my dream. I am not saying that all officials of the Intelligence Bureau or the police, who investigated the case, were guilty. But only one person, a senior officer who could control the investigation, was enough to deviate the course of the probe. I have a request to trace who all were they,” he says.
Nambi was arrested 24 years ago, but he was later cleared of all charges. The Supreme Court on September 14 had ordered the government pay Rs 50 lakh as compensation to Nambi within eight weeks for the mental trauma he was forced to undergo.
“This is the sixth Chief Minister after the case was filed. Now I am confident that the government is with me; unlike the other CMs, the incumbent CM has the right understanding of the case for he said that I could negotiate for the compensation. Also Raman Srivastava, who was also falsely alleged to have been involved in the case, is currently the advisor of the CM. This also implies that the CM has the right understanding that the case was false,” he said.
He also put forward a request to assist the other accused in the case, who are struggling to make ends meet.
Pinarayi Vijayan said there are lessons to be learnt from this case -- how fabricated evidence could be used to harass someone.
“It happened at a time when the country was about to make great achievements in the field of science. Work of scientists like Nambi Narayanan was widely noted. It has to be examined why some forces intervened in blocking the growth of the country and if there was a planned motive,” he said.
He also hit out at those who took political advantage of the case. “Some people made use of it for vested political interests. Some of them were in the leadership of political parties. Both the investigative agencies and the media had not shown the vigilance they ought to have,” the CM said. “The compensation in fact has to be given by the officials who are guilty in the case. The government has decided to examine the legal side of it. The government was keen that the compensation should be paid at a public function rather than transferring the money to his account of to give him cheque.”
The function took place at Thiruvananthapuram’s Durbar Hall.