Agencies
Jabalpur, June 20
A resident of Bhopal, V K Naswah, has filed a petition against Indian cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar to strip him off his Bharat Ratna award which he thinks the cricketer has used for ‘earning money by endorsing commercial products’.
In a report published by the Press Trust of India, The Madhya Pradesh High Court has admitted a petition which has alleged Sachin of using the ‘fame’ of the honour in a dishonoured way.
A high court bench comprising Chief Justice A M Khanwilkar and Justice K K Trivedi yesterday issued a directive to Assistant Solicitor General to find out if there are any Supreme Court guidelines (do’s and dont’s) for Bharat Ratna awardees and get back to it in a week’s time.Naswah stated that Sachin has made many world records for the country in the game of cricket and is a popular figure but using the highest civilian award to promote commercial products and earn money was against the dignity, legacy and tenets of the award.
Naswah demanded that Sachin should be stripped by the government of the honour or he should himself return the award on moral grounds.
Sachin recommends more than 12 brands including Aviva Life Insurance, Boost (malt-based nutrition drink), MRF, Luminous and realtor Amit Enterprises. He retired from all forms of cricket last November.
