G Madhavan Nair misled CAT: Centre

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Cracking the whip on former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) G. Madhavan Nair, the central government has submitted a report before the Central Administrative Tribunal that the ‘spaceman’ had breached the trust reposed on him by the government.

“Nair has conducted himself irresponsibly, making false and baseless allegations against the government and department of Space. He had failed to realise that it was because the various acts of omission and commission on the part of the applicant that the government had ordered inquiries. It is his own folly that (led) the government (to) initiate action,” the government submitted.

The government made the submission in response to Madhavan Nair’s plea challenging the government's decision to bar him from holding government posts for his alleged role in the controversial Antrix-Devas deal and seeking its quashing.

According to Radha Jaishma, under secretary in the department of space, who field the affidavit, there was no denial of natural justice (to Nair) and the high powered committee had heard him in person.

The Kochi bench has no jurisdiction to consider Nair's plea, the government submitted before the court. The government also submitted that Madhavan Nair suppressed several facts in the petition filed before CAT including the representation to the prime minister which was under consideration.

“Madhavan Nair had consciously suppressed the fact with an intention to mislead CAT, the affidavit said.”

The petitioner moved CAT against the report of the high-level-team constituted by the government to examine the facts and circumstances of the agreement between Antrix Corporation Ltd and Devas Multi Media Private Ltd on the controversial S-band deal.

As a Vikram Sarabhai Professor is under the Visiting Professor Scheme of the DoS, he is not linked to any civil post and does not belong to any Civil Service of the government, the government further said.

Madhavan Nair retired on superannuation from government service in October, 2009.