Roddam quits space panel, says Nair's humiliation was 'unjustified'

Top aerospace scientist Roddam Narasimha today resigned from the Space Commission to protest sacking of former ISRO chief Gopalan Madhavan Nair  and three other technocrats over the controversial Antrix-Devas deal, CNN-IBN reported.

Narasimha was one of the people who had probed controversial contract.

In his resignation submitted to the Prime Minister he wrote that the  “public humiliation” meted out to Nair and other officers was “unjustified”.

He said the finding of the report on the Antrix-Devas deal had listed the lapses and suggested measures to prevent their recurrence, but had found no evidence of fraud.

The Space Commission is a key entity that formulates policies and monitors implementation of the Indian space programme.

Narasimha had served in the Commission for almost two decades, being involved in ambitious missions like Chandrayaan-I and successful flights of Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

Prof Narasimha told Deccan Chronicle, “We submitted the report after identifying the lapses and suggested measures to make sure that they do not happen again. We found no evidence of wrong-doing or fraud or personal gain.

He has always been vocal about his opposition of the decision to sack the senior members, as Zee News quotes :

“I think the scientists should have been given a chance. There’s a strong misunderstanding that should first be corrected before any action is contemplated…Blame (Nair and others) for what? Let’s first get that clear. I think the debate is now going on without understanding what the blame is for. I think it would be good to release the reports,” he said.