CBI closure report in ISRO case back in focus

Agency had punched holes in investigations by Kerala Police

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which took over the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) espionage probe from the Kerala Police, had concluded that the allegations of espionage were not proved and found to be false. The closure report, which was filed by R. S. Dhankar, Dy. Superiendent of Police (CBI/SIC.II), New Delhi, on April 30, 1996, attains significance in the wake of the Supreme Court asking the CBI last week to look into the D.K. Jain committee report on the alleged framing of space scientists Nambi Narayanan and others by the former police officials in the espionage case. Besides debunking the espionage theory in its closure report filed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Ernakulam, the CBI had also listed out the errors committed by three police officers, Siby Mathews, K. K. Joshua, and S. Vijayan during the course of the investigation.