Former Kerala police officer, S Vijayan, claimed in a court that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) scientist Nambi Narayanan influenced the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the 1994 espionage case regarding him by entering into land deals worth crores with the then investigating officials.
The CBI is investigating Vijayan along with 17 other former Kerala Police and IB officials, who are accused of falsely implicating Narayanan and others in the 1994 spying case.
His lawyer told Justice R Narayana Pisharadi of the Kerala High Court on Wednesday that he had filed encumbrance certificates of several acres of land in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu that identified Narayanan or his son as the power of attorney holders.
Vijayan alleged in the HC that the lands were sold to CBI officials, contending that this material was sufficient for the trial court to order an investigation under the Prevention of Corruption Act against the scientist and agency officials.
Vijayan was, however, asked to produce the actual sale deeds as the encumbrance certificates do not prove land sales.
The Kerala High Court also noted that the trial court would have to obtain the sanction to prosecute before it could order an investigation.
In addition, the HC said that the trial court merely rejected Vijayan’s complaint and not dismissed it and he could, therefore, move a fresh complaint with all the relevant documents to that court.
According to the HC, it will pass an order admitting Vijayan’s plea and will issue notices to all parties, including Narayanan, since they must all be heard.
Vijayan’s lawyer told the HC that arrangements were being made for the acquisition of the sale deeds pertaining to the encumbrance certificates.
In August, the HC had granted anticipatory bail to Vijayan and three others in the CBI’s conspiracy case against them.
Fourteen other individuals were also charged in connection with Narayanan’s arrest and detention in the espionage case.
Aside from Narayanan, two Maldivian women were also detained in the case – Mariyam Rasheeda and Fouziyya Hassan. Both women spent more than three years in prison before their release.
