Nambi Narayanan's arrest not 'US agenda': CIC

Sibi Mathews, Chief Information Commissioner and former ADGP today denied in the Kerala High Court the charge that the arrest of former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan in an espionage case was part of 'US agenda'.
Narayanan had stated in a petition that his arrest was part of 'US agenda' accomplished by CIA in connivance with Intelligence Bureau officials and Sibi Mathews and two other police officers, who were part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which probed the case initially.
In a counter affidavit, Mathews strongly denied the charge as 'false, incorrect, baseless and with oblique motive'.
Narayanan had never raised such contentions before the High Court or Supreme Court while challenging the notification issued by Kerala government for further investigation of the ISRO case, it was submitted.

The CBI report, which the petitioner considers 'authentic' and 'sacred' has never even hinted such allegations which have not been raised even in the civil suit for damages filed by the petitioner against the respondents and others, he said.
The sole motive of Nambi Narayanan, who was arrested and later discharged in the ISRO espionage case, in seeking action against him and two other police officers, was to 'tarnish' his image and 'stifle' his prospects, Sibi Mathews stated.
The former IPS officer also submitted there was no official communication from the Union government, Department of Space or ISRO supporting Narayanan's contention that India could have earned Billions of US Dollars by developing cryogenic engine, but for his arrest.

Nambi Narayanan was reinstated and continued to work in ISRO till his retirement in 2001. But he was never given an important assignment, connected to Cryogenic engine, possibly because the central government knew the charge of espionage against the petitioner, it was submitted.