The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday disposed of a petition that sought a direction to authorities to posthumously confer Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in the country, on former Chief Minister and DMK leader M. Karunanidhi.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Vijaykumar Gangapurwala and Justice C. Kumarappan observed that mandamus could not be issued by the court to direct an executive to confer an award on a person. It would be beyond the purview of Article 226 of the Constitution. The request of the petitioner could not be considered, the court observed.
The petitioner, N. Murugan of Reddiyarpatti in Tirunelveli district, said Karunanidhi had implemented various welfare schemes in Tamil Nadu and, therefore, deserved the honour.
