The government’s decision to bar four eminent scientists from any government employment over their alleged role in the controversial Antrix-Devas deal is unfortunate. The penalised scientists — G Madhavan Nair, former chief of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO); K Bhaskaranarayana, former scientific secretary at ISRO; K R Sridharamurthi, former managing director of Antrix, commercial arm of ISRO; and K N Shankara, former director of the ISRO satellite centre — are internationally recognised scientists and their contribution to India’s space programme has been acknowledged by the government. Apart from casting a shadow on their contribution and the reputation of the organisation itself, the decision raises several questions about the working of the government.
Madhavan Nair has described the government order as discriminatory and unfair and announced that he might take appropriate legal action after seeing it as he was given no opportunity to explain his side of the case. While full facts of the controversial deal are not known as the report of the review committee set up by the government under Planning Commission member, B K Chaturvedi, as well as another committee set up under central vigilance commissioner Prityush Sinha have not been put in public domain, the secrecy that surrounded the decision does raise inconvenient questions for the government.
Ironically, the Antrix-Devas deal was approved at the highest level and the government had fielded the same officials to defend it. Taking selective action against some scientists not only smacks of discrimination but also gives rise to apprehensions that they are being made scapegoats. The prime minister, under whose charge the department of space works, owes an explanation about the circumstances in which the controversial deal was made and the role of the PMO. It is also necessary that the reports of the high power committees headed by Chaturvedi and Sinha be made public so that doubts about the manner in which the government handled the entire matter are cleared and the role of officials in the PMO and the department of space is brought out in full view.