Sun, Mar 21 12:40 PM Mumbai, March 21 -- A naturopath has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the conferring of the Padma awards to three persons alleging irregularities in the selection process.
Dr Leo Rebello (60), who was selected for the Padma Award in 1991, found his name missing from the list three days prior to the awards ceremony. Alleging that some "tainted and undeserving persons" would be conferred with the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, he has sought that their names be removed. Naming NRI hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, Apollo Hospital's Dr Prakash Reddy - both selected for Padma Bhushan - and actor Saif Ali Khan selected for Padma Shri in his petition, Rebello alleged that these people have not made any exemplary contribution to their respective fields. Alleging that the selection process is "faulty, arbitrary or corrupt", Rebello has sought that their names be removed. (Hindustan Times)