ISRO espionage case: Kerala HC extends anticipatory bail of ex-Kerala DGP Siby Mathews

The Kerala High Court on Friday has extended the anticipatory bail of former Kerala Director-General of Police, Siby Mathews. A time limit on the bail order was earlier granted by the Sessions Court of Thiruvananthapuram until October 27, 2021, in connection to the case of framing former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan and many others in the 1994 espionage case.

Meanwhile, the Sessions Court on August 24 issued the order and further informed that the petitioner will have to adhere to the remedies as mentioned in section 437 or 439 of the CrPC, as advised to him after the date of this order. Later, a petition was filed by Siby Mathews, challenging the Sessions Court order on September 24, 2021. Filing the petition, he alleged that the time limit imposed on him in connection with the 1994 espionage case violates the law settled by the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court.

As the incident dates back to 1994, the plea added that custodial interrogation of the petitioner is not necessary to investigate the matter. 

Speaking on the same, the Supreme Court of India also stated that the order granting bail should not be limited to a fixed period and the life of anticipatory bail can continue until the end of the trial. 

Earlier, an anticipatory bail of 60 days was granted by the Sessions Court to Mathews in June after a case was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the former police chief Mathew and many others for involvement in a criminal conspiracy against former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan.

Later, the anticipatory bill was opposed by Narayanan in July. 

The 1994 ISRO espionage case

The case took place around 1994 when allegations of transferring confidential documents on India's space programme to foreign countries were levied on two Indian scientists. Two Maldivian women named Rasheeda and Fousiya Hasan were also accused in the case. Later, Rasheeda was arrested in Thiruvananthapuram for obtaining secret drawings of ISRO rocket engines with an aim of selling them to Pakistan. 

At the time, the director of the cryogenic project at ISRO, Narayanan, was arrested with Deputy Director of ISRO D Sasikumaran. Narayanan was later given a clean chit after which he sought legal action against the police officers for involving him in the espionage case. His appeal, however, was rejected on the basis that no action was required against the officials.

He then went to the Supreme Court where his plea was accepted and the Apex Court directed for an investigation followed by the appointment of an inquiry commission. SC also directed the CBI to conduct an investigation and later, 18 former police and several Intelligence Bureau officials were charged with allegations. 

(With ANI inputs, Image:  ANI)