Nair demands probe into Radhakrishnan’s role in scrapping deal

Sunday, April 8, 2012: Accusing ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan of misleading government on the controversial Antrix-Devas deal, his predecessor G Madhavan Nair today pressed the Centre to order a probe into his role in the cancellation of the contract saying only this would bring out the facts.
“They (the government) must look at what’s Radhakrishnan’s role in cancelling the contract. What is his interest in cancelling the contract? Was he under pressure from some quarter or other? Or was it his own making?,” said Nair.
“That’s what is to be investigated. He (Radhakrishnan) had done lot of damage to the government in the process, and he has to answer these things,” he said.
On the affidavit filed by the Department of Space (DoS) before the Central Administrative Tribunal, Kochi, Nair said there was nothing new in it. “They have told the same story they have put out earlier.”
Nair said the DoS keeps on harping that Devas sold its shares at a high value but pointed out that “that’s not in the purview of the DoS at all. Unnecessarily, they (DoS) are trying to bark at the wrong tree.”
He also said while Antrix-Devas deal was signed in 2004-05, when Nair was Secretary in the DoS and ISRO Chairman, sale of shares of Devas took place in 2010 when Radhakrishnan was in-charge (as DoS Secretary and ISRO Chairman). “And he (Radhakrishnan) is answerable for these things. Not me.”