Ban for India's top space scientist India's wave of corruption scandals claimed its most respected casualty on Wednesday when the country's top space scientist said he had been banned from government employment. Madhavan Nair, former head of the Indian Space Research Organisation, has denounced an investigation into his conduct at the agency and launched a stinging attack on the Isro's management, warning that it was being wrecked. Mr Nair, who supervised 25 space missions, is credited with helping to transform India's space programme into a showcase for the country's high-tech abilities. His efforts propelled India into a regional space race with China and Japan and earned him international recognition. He is now president of the Paris-based International Academy of Astronautics, a position usually held by American scientists, and chairs several government research committees. The fallout over the space programme puts in jeopardy a highly prestigious programme at the heart of New Delhi's claims to be a rising superpower. India has in the past two years signed agreements with leading powers - including the US, Russia and France - to boost its activities in space. The space programme is a source of immense national pride; exploring space was a dream of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister. Mr Nair, 68, faces allegations that he was involved in the underpriced leasing of space spectrum to the private sector. These allegations have been under investigation by a panel set up by Manmohan Singh, the prime minister, after the state auditor estimated that improper dealings cost the exchequer Rs20bn ($400m). Mr Nair, who retired from the agency in 2009, has denied any wrongdoing. On Wednesday he warned that the space programme was "grinding to a halt" and had failed to advance any significant initiative over the past two years due to incompetent leadership. He complained that he had been given no opportunity to defend himself in the inquiry. No criminal charges have been laid and are unlikely to be, given the high security surrounding the space programme. "Even in an autocratic or military regime an opportunity would have been given to the person who has been blacklisted," he said. Isro declined to comment on the investigation over its allocation of satellite-based spectrum in 2005, without a bidding process, to Devas Multimedia. Bangalore-based Devas paid the agency $130m for about 60MHz of the S-band frequency, which provides high-speed mobile internet. "This attack against [Mr Nair] is politically motivated and will hurt India's entire space programme," a space expert said. The Chandrayaan mission, which cost $100m, dropped a probe carrying the Indian flag on to the moon in 2008. The agency plans a mission to the moon in 2016 carrying two astronauts at an estimated cost of Rs124bn.