By IANS,
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Thursday asked a petitioner who had challenged the government’s decision to award the Padma Bhushan to NRI hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal to bring evidence against him by April 5.
A division bench of acting Chief Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Mukta Gupta asked petitioner S.K. Shah to bring evidence on record to support his allegation that Chatwal did not deserve the award.
Shah, who argued on his own, said that giving such a prestigious award to a person who declares bankruptcy is a shame for the country.
On this, the bench remarked that he could not make such wild allegations against any person and asked him to bring evidence.
Additional Solicitor General P.P. Malhotra, on behalf of the government, said a Supreme Court appointed committee was responsible for looking into the list of awardees. He submitted that none of the guidelines for awarding Padma Bhushan had been violated.
“This case (was) also scrutinised well,” Malhotra said.
Shah, a freelance journalist, had Tuesday filed the petition and demanded from the government that the Padma Bhushan should not be conferred on a man against whom investigating agencies were probing five cases under various charges.