Government denies any move to strip Saif Ali Khan off Padma Shri
9 Aug 2014 11:38 AM GMT (Update:2019-03-31 13:26:21)
An RTI activist filed a complain demanding the prestigious award to be taken back
A file picture of Saif Ali Khan receiving the Padma Shri award.
Mumbai: The government has put an end to all the reports that suggested that actor Saif Ali Khan’s Padma Shri award would be taken back from him. They have denied to strip actor Saif Ali Khan off the prestigious award given to him in 2010.
RTI activist SC Agrawal had filed a complaint with the Union Home Ministry demanding that Saif be stripped of the Padma Shri. It is the fourth highest civilian honour, which he received in 2010.
Padma award rules state that the 'President may cancel or annul the award of the decoration to any person’; there is no clarity on what happens if the person is charged or convicted by a court at a later date.
In a newspaper report, a home minister official was quoted saying, “ It would be unfair to strip a person with outstanding achievement in a field just because he is convicted in a case relating to a minor scuffle. ” Due diligence is done, including a background check by the intelligence agencies, before a person is conferred the Padma award. Also, a multi-member expert committee screens the nominations for the civilian honour this process was duly followed while processing Saif's case. It would be unfair to strip a person with outstanding achievement in a field just because he is convicted in a case relating to a minor scuffle."
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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