Bharat Ratna to Sachin speaks of laxity: PIL

A petition challenging the awarding of Bharat Ratna to cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was filed in the Allahabad High Court today.

The PIL, filed before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court by IPS officer Amitabh Thakur and social activist Nutan Thakur, also sought a review into the method of choosing the recipient for the country's highest civilian award.

The plea, which was posted to November 25 for hearing, said Bharat Ratna must be given after utmost scrutiny.

Calling cricket a "tamasha" (theatricals) which was taking the nation backwards, the duo said conferring Sachin Tendulkar with the award is bound to give a message of "inaction and laxity", and asked that the award be given to other world class sportsmen like Vishwanathan Anand, Milkha Singh or Geet Sethi.

Challenging the current method of awarding Bharat Ratna where the Prime Minister solely recommends names, they said it was completely against the concept of transparency and inclusiveness. They have prayed for a larger committee which would bestow the award to great Indians including Ashoka, Akbar, Kalidas, Kabeer, Kamban so as to become synonymous with its name.