Kerala High Court dismisses petition challenging Padma Bhushan award to Vellappally Natesan

A public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that the Padma Bhushan award granted to Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) general secretary Vellappally Natesan was illegal as there are a host of criminal cases pending against him, was dismissed by the Kerala High Court on Wednesday. 

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar found no reason to interfere with the award and held that if Mr. Natesan is convicted, the President has the right to annul the conferment of the decoration, after which the name of Mr. Natesan would be erased from the register. 

The petition, filed by Sree Narayana Dharma Prabhodana Samrakshana Samithi, alleged that there were numerous criminal cases relating to embezzlement pending against Mr. Natesan and challenged the conferment of the Padma Bhushan. The Centre informed the court that the criteria for the award look into the lifetime achievement of a nominee.

The court observed that there was no allegation in the petition that challenged the achievements of Mr. Natesan, and that even though criminal proceedings are pending against him, the Supreme Court had stayed one of the cases, and the other cases had not reached the trial stage. 

While the public interest litigation was pending before the High Court, Mr. Natesan was conferred with the honour for his achievements in the field of “Public Affairs”, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs.