Vijay Kumar Saraswat, former director general, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been sentenced to three weeks imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,000 for contempt of court by a division Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday.
Saraswat, popularly known as the Missile Man of India, is the master brain behind the advanced missile series being developed by the country, convicted along with G Malakondaiah, another scientist who is the director, Defence Metallurgical Research laboratory for not obeying the court order in connection with a case filed by one of the employees of Combat Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), at Avadi near Chennai. They were found guilty under Section 12 of the contempt of courts Act 1971.
Joseph Raj, who was appointed as a clerk in the CVRDE in 1985 was later promoted and appointed as a librarian in CVRDE School. But with the closing down of the school in 2001, Raj and others were given termination orders. Raj approached various courts including administrative tribunal which all gave ruling asking the Union Government to appoint him in one of the units.
Though the order was issued in 2004, the DRDO or units under it failed to take note of the court directive. Hence Raj approached the Madras High Court seeking a solution to his livelihood.
The division Bench consisting of justices S Rajeswaran and P N Prakash took serious note of the indifference shown to court verdict by the officers. “Though the court delivered the verdict in 2004, it is shocking to note that no action has been taken to appoint the petitioner even after a decade,” said the judges.