KOCHI: In a new twist to the 1994 ISRO espionage case, Siby Mathews, who headed the special investigation team that probed the case, has claimed that Intelligence Bureau officials pressured the probe team and senior police officials in Kerala to arrest scientist Nambi Narayanan and IPS officer Raman Srivastava, stating that the matter was related to the security of the nation.
In his anticipatory bail petition filed before the Sessions Court in Thiruvananthapuram on June 24, Siby Mathews said there were media reports stating that Srivastava had connections with Mariam Rasheeda — a Maldivian involved in the case — and she had met him on several occasions.
Mathews is the fourth accused in the latest case registered by the CBI probing the conspiracy behind wrongful arrest, custodial torture and unjustified incarceration of Nambi Narayanan and others in connection with the ISRO espionage case. In the bail plea, Mathews said, “if there was any conspiracy or bad faith on the part of the petitioner, he would not have recommended that the investigation be transferred to another agency — CBI.”
The crime was registered following the arrest of Mariam Rasheeda for overstaying in the country and on the apprehension that she had some suspicious and undesirable connections with some scientists in ISRO. The Central Intelligence Wing (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing, which have been given powers of Superintendent of Police, passed on the information to the Special Branch of Kerala Police about the suspects and their suspicious activities which led to the registration of the case.
In fact, the then Thiruvananthapuram city police commissioner has made it clear in his report that the case was registered and Mariam Rasheeda was arrested based on the instructions of R B Sreekumar, then Deputy Director, Central Intelligence Wing. It was also stated that Mariam Rasheeda and Fousiya Hassan — another Maldivian — have connections with a senior scientist in ISRO, the petition stated.
The bail petition stated that on custodial questioning, Mariam Rasheeda revealed the involvement of Russian Space Agency Glavkosmos’ India representative Chandrasekhar, former ISRO scientist Sasikumar and Fousiya Hassan.
“The arrest and questioning of Sasikumar and Chandrasekharan revealed further information strengthening and corroborating the statement of the Maldivian women. This further strengthened the involvement of Nambi Narayanan in the case and, by this time the IB officials were putting pressure on the probe team and senior police officials in the joint conferences to arrest Raman Srivastava and Nambi Narayanan, stating that the matter is related to the security of the nation and positions of such persons shall not be a hindrance for stern action against them,” stated the bail petition.
“When Fousiya was questioned, a spy network linking Columbo-Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram and Maldives was revealed,” submitted Mathews. “By this time, the arrest of Mariam Rasheeda and connected developments were taken up by media and political parties. It also became a political controversy centering the late K Karunakaran, the then Chief Minister of Kerala, where it was alleged that he was trying to protect Raman Srivastava as he was linked to the espionage network,” stated the bail petition.
The plea further stated that the disclosure statement of the accused persons revealed their connections with some high-profile businessmen who were enjoying close nexus with a few top politicians in power.The bail petition is pending before the court.
‘Accused had links with high-profile people’
The plea further stated that the disclosure statement of the accused persons revealed their connections with some high-profile businessmen enjoying close nexus with a few top politicians