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Journalism of Courage
In a signal that it could reconsider its January 13 order blacklisting four top space scientists,including former chief of Indian Space Research Organisation ISRO G Madhavan Nair,for their role in the Antrix-Devas deal,the Centre has now sought legal opinion from its top law officer.
It has asked Attorney General G E Vahanvati whether the order was consistent with principles of natural justice and if it would stand judicial scrutiny.
Sources in the Department of Space DoS said the decision to seek the AGs view was taken in light of the uproar in the scientific community over the apparent lack of transparency in issuing the order. One of the major charges against the DoS and ISRO is that they didnt give adequate opportunity to Nair,A Bhaskarnarayana,former scientific secretary in ISRO; K R Sridharmurthi,former managing director of Antrix; and K N Shankara,former director in ISROs satellite centre,to explain their position.
Sources said Vahanvati has been asked to go through the files and give his legal opinion on whether the allegation that the principles of natural justice was ignored by the DoS while deciding the issue of blacklisting the four scientists.
Vahanvati would also say if the order would stand judicial scrutiny in case Nair or anybody else challenged it in a court of law.
Speaking at the Idea Exchange programme at The Indian Express office on February 6,Nair had said he had to virtually gatecrash to meet Pratyush Sinha,head of one of the committee that was looking into the controversial ISRO-Devas deal. This,he said,could not be described as an opportunity given to him to present his case before the panel as stated in the committees report.
