Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan was "arrested unnecessarily, harassed and subjected to mental cruelty" in a 1994 espionage case, the Supreme Court held Friday, as it ordered a probe into the role of the Kerala police officers involved in it.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra awarded Rs 50 lakh compensation to 76-year-old Narayanan and asked the Kerala government to pay it to him within eight weeks. Narayanan had approached SC against the judgment of the Kerala HC, which said no action was required to be taken against former DGP Siby Mathews and two retired superintendents of police, K K Joshua and S Vijayan, who were later held responsible by CBI for the scientist's illegal arrest.