New probe unlikely on Antrix-Devas deal

NEW DELHI: The governnment appears to be in no mood to give in to former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair’s demand for setting up a new panel to probe the controversial Antrix-Devas deal. Sources in the PMO said the government is not inclined to set up a new panel as two committees have already investigated the issue.

“There is no scope for constituting a third panel,” said a source in the PMO. Expressing reservations over the Prathyush Sinha-led committee probe, Nair had urged the PMO for a fresh “comprehensive” enquiry into issue.

“A comprehensive enquiry should be held into the whole issue since inception of Devas to till the cancellation of the Antrix-Devas agreement and action tahen against me and three other scientists on the basis of the Sinha committee,” said Nair in his letter to the PMO.

Nair told a news agency in Bangalore that he wrote the letter to the PMO sometime last week accusing the Department of Space (DoS) of having got the entire thing “completely wrong” while deciding the cancellation and other issues concerning the Antrix-Devas deal.

“Either people who are involved in the DoS have not understood the issue properly or there was some pressure from some quarters,” Nair said without naming anyone.

Coming down heavily on the five-member committee headed by Sinha, Nair said proper procedure was not followed in the report, which led the government to take action against him and others.