Chennai: The Madras High Court on Monday
dismissed a petition seeking to quash the list of those
selected for this year's Padma Awards saying the litigant was
expected to approach the authorities concerned first about any
grievance before approaching the court.
"In our view, a litigant is expected to approach the
authorities first and point out whatever his grievances are so
that if at all there is any substance there-in the authorities
concerned can look into the same and if there is any merit
therein can take an appropriate decision," a bench comprising
Chief Justice H L Gokhale and Justice K K Sasidharan held.
Petitioner A Sethu had sought to set aside the list of
those selected for this year's Padma Awards claiming that the
selection was "arbitrary, unconstitutional and against a
Supreme Court ruling".
The petition had also sought a direction to the Union
Home Ministry to repeat the selection process.
Pointing out that "in the instant case the petitioner
has not approached the first respondent (home ministry), the
Bench observed that there is sufficient time for the
petitioner in as much as the actual conferment of the awards
for this year is likely to take place only in March or April".
From the material placed on record by the petitioner
himself that it was clear that the President did have the
powers to take an appropriate decision to cancel or annul the
award in respect of any individual, the judges said for these
reasons they were not inclined to entertain the writ petition.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, February 09, 2010, 00:28