'Influencing CBI in ISRO spy case': Kerala HC dismisses plea for probe

KOCHI: The

Kerala High Court

on Monday dismissed a plea by the first accused in ISRO spy case frame-up seeking an investigation into alleged land deals between former scientist Nambi Narayanan and the CBI officials who were involved in the probe into the espionage case of 1994.

Dismissing the plea filed by former police officer

S Vijayan

, the first accused in the frameup case, justice R

Narayana Pisharadi

granted liberty to the petitioner to file a fresh complaint with appropriate documents.

The court’s decision came along with observing that encumbrance certificates do not prove land sale and that actual sale deeds are required. The court also said an investigation can be ordered by a trial court only upon obtaining sanction for prosecuting the officials alleged to be involved.

Vijayan had demanded before the high court that the ongoing CBI probe should include the land deals between CBI DIG Rajendra Nath Kaul and Anjali Srivastava, the wife of former state police chief Raman Srivastava.

It was alleged by the petitioner that Nambi Narayanan had transferred land at Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu to Rajendra Nath Kaul, who was the investigating officer in the spy case, and to Anjali Srivastava in 2004. Raman Srivastava was South Zone IG at the time of the spy case and there were allegations against him at the time, the petition had said.

Further, the petitioner had alleged that land was transferred to senior politicians from West Bengal. It is to be probed why Nambi Narayanan held land transactions with them, the petitioner had demanded.