ISRO spy case: CBI can proceed against ex-Kerala officials in accordance with law, says Supreme Court

A plea concerning the involvement of Kerala Police officers in the framing of Padma Bhushan awardee and former ISRO aerospace scientist Dr Nambi Narayanan was heard by the Supreme Court today. Dr Nambi Narayanan was accused in a 1994 espionage case and was acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2018.

A division bench comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and Sanjiv Khanna granted permission to CBI to proceed against ex-Kerala Police officers who framed Dr Nambi Narayanan, stating the investigation must proceed as the agency had filed an FIR.

“CBI can proceed after registration of FIR.., as per law and no directions required from this court. The respondent can take all possible remedies available in law,” the bench said. The bench added that CBI must collect evidence and other material and should not rely solely on the report of the Justice D.K. Jain committee for proceeding against the accused.

The accused argued that CBI’s refusal to share the aforementioned report would prejudice their defense as the agency was relying heavily on its contents. However, the court ruled that the report was not relevant at this time because the CBI had already registered an FIR and that the report would only assist the CBI in understanding the case.

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