The Supreme Court on Friday said the arrest of a former Indian Space Research Organisation scientist in an alleged spying case was “needless and unnecessary”, Live Law reported.

The court granted Nambi Narayanan compensation of Rs 50 lakh for being subjected to mental cruelty in the case. It also constituted a committee headed by former Supreme Court Justice DK Jain to investigate the role of police officers in the case.

The bench was hearing a plea by Narayanan seeking compensation and action against the Kerala Police officers accused of falsely implicating him in a spying case. He was accused of selling secrets pertaining to ISRO’s cryogenic programme to women who were allegedly acting as spies for Russia, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and other countries. In July, the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on his plea.

Narayanan was among the six accused in the case. Narayanan and Bengaluru-based businessmen Chandrasekharan and SK Sharam were arrested in November 1994 on charges of espionage.

The case was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation. In its final report to the chief judicial magistrate in April 1996, the CBI said there was lack of evidence to substantiate the charges.

All the six accused were acquitted by a division bench of the Kerala High Court. The court had said there was no need to take action against the former director general of police and two retired Superintendents of Police KK Joshua and S Vijayan. In 2015, Narayanan moved the Supreme Court seeking criminal and disciplinary action against the officers. He accused them of falsely implicating him in the case.

‘Case against me was fabricated’

Welcoming the Supreme Court’s decision, Narayanan on Friday said the case filed against him by the Kerala police was “fabricated”, reported PTI. The technology he was allegedly accused of stealing did not even exist at that time, he said.

“The Supreme Court has clearly stated that it was an illegal arrest,” said Narayana. “It also identifies and acknowledges the suffering and humiliation I have gone through.”