Bhubaneswar: The Orissa High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Dr. Antaryami Mishra, a physician, for filing a petition claiming his namesake, a journalist, had received the Padma Shri award by impersonation.
The single-judge bench of Justice S K Panigrahi dismissed the petition, stating it wasted the court’s time, and directed Dr. Mishra to pay the fine to the High Court Bar Association fund.
The controversy arose when Dr. Mishra claimed he was the actual deserving recipient of the Padma Shri award for literature and education in 2023. He alleged the journalist, who received the award, had impersonated him. Dr. Mishra claimed to be an Odia litterateur with 29 published books, while the journalist had no notable publications.
The court had previously summoned both Antaryami Mishras to appear with their publications and materials. However, Dr. Mishra failed to produce the letter from the central government inviting him to receive the award.
The Padma Shri award was conferred upon Antaryami Mishra, a journalist, by President Droupadi Murmu on April 5, 2023, after being announced in the Padma awardees list on January 25, 2023.
