Padma Shri for NRI challenged in court

Kochi: A petition has been filed in the high court seeking an order to stop the bestowal of Padma Shri award on Sundar Aditya Menon, citing his alleged involvement in criminal cases. Menon, a UAE-based NRI, has been included in the list for his contribution in the field of social work.
In the petition filed through advocate S M Prasanth, C K Padmanabhan of Changaroth in Kozhikode has alleged that no reference was made to the state government by the central government before including Menon in the list even though he is a resident of Kerala.
The petitioner was aware of the antisocial activities of Menon for the past 30 years and it is reliably known that he was involved in a customs case related to gold smuggling in Mumbai, the petition said.
Thrissur East Fort police station has registered a case against Menon for criminal breach of trust, cheating, criminal intimidation, and conspiracy and the investigation is progressing.
There were other complaints against him too. He was able to cover up all these due to his tremendous influence and money power.
Without knowing his shady background, the UAE government has succumbed to his pressure and recommended him for the award, it was alleged.
The petitioner also pointed out that it was the UAE government that had recommended the conferring of Padma Shri on Menon.
As per Article 18 of the Indian Constitution, no Indian citizen can accept any title from any foreign state.
Thus, UAE's recommendation for granting Padma Shri to Menon was illegal, the petition said.