The CBI has filed a chargesheet in the Antrix-Devas scam dating back to 2005. ISRO’s former chairman Madhavan Nair, who was also the then Chairman of Antrix, which is the commercial wing of ISRO has been named in the chargesheet.
This comes after the CBI had questioned Madhavan Nair in May in connection with the case registered by the agency for probing alleged Rs 578-crore "wrongful" gain to a private multi-media company Devas.
In 2012, the government had scrapped the controversial Antrix-Devas deal and had barred four scientists including Madhavan Nair from any reemployment with the government.
The contract was signed between Antrix Corporation and Devas Multimedia Private Limited on January 28, 2005 during his tenure as chairman of ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space.
Madhavan Nair called the charge sheet surprising and told The News Minute,
"I have not seen their report so I cannot react elaborately. But one thing which is surprising is that it is a non-issue on which the earlier government had conducted some enquiry based on which punishment has also been meted out to four senior scientists. The CAG then brought a report in which they say there is no financial loss, no spectrum sale nor any irregularity in the deal. This was even confirmed by the international court which declared the whole cancellation process as illegal and thereafter slapped a fine on the government. In that context, how anybody can file a charge sheet is really surprising. I need to see what exactly is the content of the same and then probably opt for a legal course of action which will take its own time. From whatever records I have, there is no irregularity and no illegal action from our side. If at all anything illegal has taken place, it had to do with cancellation of that said contract. So if at all, someone has to be prosecuted, it should be those people who cancelled it.”
An FIR was lodged against KR Sridhara Murthi, MD of Antrix, M G Chandrasekhar and R Vishwanathan of Forge Advisors, Devas Multi-media Private Limited and unnamed officials of Antrix, ISRO and Department of Space in a designated court in Bengaluru.
The agency has slapped 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating) of Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act against them.