The Isro row intensified on Monday with space agency chief K. Radhakrishnan refuting the charge by his predecessor G. Madhavan Nair that no inquiry was conducted on the findings of an official report on the Antrix-Devas deal.
“It (the inquiry) was done”, Dr Radhakrishnan, also the secretary in the department of space, who has come under persistent scathing attack from Dr Nair, told PTI.
Dr Nair along with three other scientists were barred from holding any government post following their indictment over the deal.
Dr Radhakrishnan said the detailed letter of the Pratyush Sinha-chaired high level committee listing out the “charges, lapses and irregularities” had been sent to Dr Nair and seven other officials.
The DoS on Saturday night made public the report of the high powered review committee (HPRC) which reviewed the technical, commercial, procedural and financial aspects of the Antrix-Devas deal, and conclusions and recommendations of the high level team (HLT) without putting out the full text.
Terming findings in the five-member HLT, which identified acts of omission and commission by government officials, as “serious allegations”, Dr Nair on Sunday questioned the DoS for not conducting an inquiry into them.
Slamming last month’s action to bar him and three other scientists from government jobs as “witch-hunt”, Dr Nair had also alleged that Dr Radhakrishnan is behind the move.
According to an Isro statement released on Saturday, seven of the eight scientists, including Dr Nair, had replied to the HLT’s detailed letters sent in July last seeking clarification on their involvement in various lapses and issues, including those pointed out by the HPRC.
Later, the committee chairman provided opportunity for personal hearing as requested by Dr Nair and two others, the statement said.
Asked why only “conclusions and recommendations” and not the full report had been made public, Dr Radhakrishnan said, “Because it was not essential. That’s the only thing. Some things are not to be given.” Queried if it was because of strategic and defence interests, he said, “Such issues are there. That’s why we don’t want to give. Important element is conclusions and recommendations.”