False case against Nambi Narayanan delayed India's cryo tech development: CBI to HC

Описание: Kochi: The Central Bureu of Investigation on Wednesday opposed in the Kerala High Court the bail pleas by two former Kerala Police officers, who were involved in the arrest of former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan in a 1994 espionage case, reports PTI. The CBI said that they falsely implicated him in a "concocted case" which led to delay in development of India's cryogenic technology.
CBI has said that the offences against the two accused were serious in nature as they both "played an active role and concocted an espionage case in pursuance of the conspiracy with the other accused in the FIR (registered by CBI) and other unknown persons".
"The nature and gravity of the offences, alleged against the petitioners (S Vijayan and Thampi S Durga Dutt) also had a big impact on the technological development of cryogenic technology, which was delayed due to false implication of Nambi Narayanan and news related to it," it has said.
It has further said that "since it is related to national interest and crime against a scientist has been committed, society at large has an interest in this case."
CBI's submissions were made in its statement, filed through Assistant Solicitor General P Vijayakumar, opposing the anticipatory bail plea jointly moved by retired Kerala Police officers S Vijayan and Thampi S Durga Dutt who were part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which arrested the scientist.
Meanwhile, a single judge bench of Justice K Haripal on Wednesday extended the interim protection from arrest granted on June 23 to P S Jayaprakash, a retired IB officer, who is also an accused in the case registered by CBI.
Besides Vijayan and Dutt, 16 others, including Intelligence Bureau (IB) officers are named as accused in the case registered by the agency for various offences, including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and fabrication of evidence, under the Indian Penal Code, in connection with arrest and detention of Narayanan.
CBI, also represented by central government counsel Suvin R Menon, has contended that the interim bail plea has been moved by the two retired Kerala Police officers to "scuttle the due process of law" and it was "premature" and "not sustainable".

CBI has contended that it has reason to believe that once interim bails are granted to them, they will not cooperate with the probe and "will derail the pace of the investigation".
The agency has further claimed that many of the witnesses would be those in uniform or in government service and since the two accused "are still very influential", granting anticipatory bail to them "will induce fear in the minds of probable witnesses".
The Supreme Court had on April 15 ordered that the report of a high-level committee on the role of erring police officials in the espionage case relating to Narayanan be given to the CBI and directed the agency to conduct further investigation on the issue.
PTI