Could that connection have helped save him in the war room leak case? After all, three e-mails from one of the dismissed naval officers was considered a serious security breach. But he was neither summoned nor questioned. Instead, a court martial which could have facilitated his deposition as a co-accused was done away with. His firm, Shanx Oceaneering, even received tender enquiries from the navy much after a BoI had been constituted in the war room leak case.
Shankaran left the navy in the early '90s and set up Shanx Oceaneering with his junior and buddy K.B. Parashar. But an explosion on board the ins Jyoti proved to be sticky ground for the company. In March 2001, Parashar decided to set up his own Expert Systems. According to sources close to Shankaran, both continued to be the best of friends and also work together.
However, there was disgruntlement in the navy when Admiral Prakash, as western naval commander, ordered an inquiry into alleged corruption by materials superintendent. Some felt that Shankaran had tipped the navy off. Now, sources close to Shankaran say that he is willing to depose before the authorities to prove his innocence. "He has not stepped into a naval establishment in over a year and is a legitimate vendor," says a close friend. But if the BoI is to be believed, he is an alleged beneficiary of "classified information", terribly embarrassing the navy chief.
