CBI files chargesheet against former ISRO chief Madhavan Nair in Antrix-Devas scam

Madhvan Nair had to quit ISRO as its chairman as he was the head of the governing council of Antrix when the deal was finalised.

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday filed chargsheets against former ISRO chief Madhavan Nair in the multi-crore Antrix-Devas scam.

The chargesheet was filed before Special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar, and the court has fixed August 18 for further hearing.

"Then Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), then Additional Secretary, Department of Space, then Director, SCPO, ISRO, then Executive Director of Antrix Corporation Ltd, then Managing Director of a USA-based company, and then CEO and three former directors of Bangalore-based Devas Multi-media were chargesheeted as accused in the case," the CBI said in a press statement.

Nair had to quit ISRO as its chairman as he was heading the governing council of Antrix when the deal was finalised.

CBI had earlier questioned Nair in connection with the case registered by the agency for probing alleged Rs 578-crore “wrongful” gain to a private multi-media company Devas by Antrix, the commercial arm of ISRO.

Nair was summoned to the CBI headquarters and asked about the details of the contract signed between Antrix Corporation and Devas Multimedia Private Limited on January 28, 2005 during his tenure as chairman of ISRO.

CBI had registered a case last year and carried out searches at the premises of Devas Limited as well as the then Executive Director of Antrix K R Sridhara Murthi in Bengaluru.

An FIR was lodged against Murthi, 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. according to PTI.

It is alleged that the accused people had entered into a criminal conspiracy and the government officials abused their position by favouring Devas by giving them rights for delivery of videos, multimedia and information services to mobile phones using S-Band through GSAT-6 and GSAT-6A satellites and terrestrial systems in India.