S. Nambi Narayanan, formerly head of the cryogenic division of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), falsely implicated in the ISRO spy case and exonerated by the Supreme Court, said that he was writing a book on his experience in jail.
He said that around 40% of people who had been jailed were innocent like him. However, he added that he did not want to blame the judiciary for the time it took to settle cases. Mr. Narayanan was speaking at a face-to-face programme organised by the Ernakulam Karayogam here on Monday.
His autobiography, Ormakalude Bhramanapatham , which was published in late 2017, has gone into its second edition. The book deals with the ISRO spy case and the way he was questioned and “ill-treated” by the Kerala Police and officials of the Intelligence Bureau after his arrest in 1994.
Mr. Narayanan said it was obvious from the beginning that the ISRO espionage case was a cooked-up one.
He added that those behind the framing of the case had exposed themselves through their actions. For instance, he said, his house and office space were not raided.
“It is simple logic that if a person is charged with stealing technology, his or her house should be raided for recovery of materials and for evidence,” he observed.
Mr. Narayanan said a lot of people had supported him in his efforts to prove his innocence. He recalled that six persons, including then ISRO Director Satish Dhawan, had written a letter in support of him at a time when the case was under the court’s consideration. “They had risked the court’s displeasure in supporting me,” he added.
‘A long battle’
The former ISRO scientist said he had to fight long for justice. However, for an ordinary man, it might be very difficult to lead such a long legal battle.
But it is also necessary to fight, he said, and pointed out that he had a very difficult task as he was fighting the might of both the Union and State governments.
The sole aim of his interaction with the public, he said, was to make people understand that the ISRO spy case was a fabricated one. He hoped that the committee appointed by the Supreme Court would unravel more facts about the case.
