ISRO case:HC rejects plea claiming ex-scientist influenced CBI probe

The Kerala High Court on Monday dismissed a plea accusing ex-ISRO Scientist Nambi Narayanan of influencing the investigation against him by entering into land deals with CBI officials investigating the case. The plea was filed by S Vijayan, one of the 17 former police and IB officials, facing a CBI probe for implicating Nambi Narayanan in the  1994 ISRO espionage case. The petitioner approached the High Court claiming that his complaint filed before the trial court was rejected despite producing encumbrance certificates of several acres of land in Tamil Nadu,  which showed Nambi Narayanan or his son as the power of attorney holders. He claimed that some of these plots were sold to CBI officials to influence the investigation.
Dismissing the plea, Justice R Narayana Pisharody asked the petitioner to produce the actual land sale deeds, as encumbrance certificates did not prove the sale of land. The Court, however, said the petitioner can file a fresh complaint with necessary documents. The high court had also said that sanction to prosecute would also be required for the trial court to order an investigation. The agency, CBI, in its appeal, has sought cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted to the four accused by the high court on August 13.