Kerala High Court issues notices to Centre, Space Secretary

KOCHI: Former Indian Space Organisation Chairman G Madhavan Nair has moved the Kerala (rpt Kerala) High Court challenging the Centre's 2011 order terminating his appointment as Dr Vikram Sarabhai Distinguished Professor, divesting him of all government related posts and barring him from any such future assignment.

When the petition came up for hearing, the court today issued notices to the Centre and Space secretary.

Justice D Sheshadri Naidu also directed the respondents to file a counter-affidavit in four weeks.

Nair also challenged the report of high-level team which held him guilty of various ommissions and commissions.

A copy of the report was not available to him even now, it was submitted.

The government had barred Nair and three other senior space scientists from all current and future government jobs for their alleged role in the Antrix Corporation's controversial deal with Devas Multimedia for leasing out bulk transponders on two satellites for launch of digital multimedia services.

Nair had last year unsuccessfully moved the Central Administrative Tribunal seeking quashing of the Centre's decision. The CAT had held his plea as non-maintainable on the ground that he was not holding a civil post and it had no jurisdiction to entertain his case.

His petition challenging the CAT order was dismissed by the high court later.