Vellappally Natesan
Credit: PTI Photo
A whistle-blower forum in Kerala has petitioned the President against conferring Padma Bhushan award to Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) general secretary Vellappally Natesan.
Thiruvananthapuram-based Save University Campaign Committee urged President Droupadi Murmu to reconsider the decision to confer Padma Bhushan to Natesan citing the criminal cases against him.
The forum cited that Natesan was an accused in 127 cases, mostly pertaining to misappropriation of funds of SNDP's micro-finance scheme, as well as on case pertaining to the abetment of suicide of an SNDP former official.
The forum chairman R S Sasikumar said that the forum also pointed out in the petition to the President that Natesan himself had earlier openly ridiculed and mocked the Padma award and even questioned the fairness of the selection process, video footage of which is now viral on social media. Calicut University had earlier rejected a proposal to award honorary doctorate to Natesan in view of the allegations against him, he said.
Meanwhile, sources close to Natesan said that already some of the cases against him in connection with the alleged misappropriation of around Rs. 15 crore in the micro finance scheme were closed due to lack of evidence.
Already there were widespread interpretations that the decision to give the Padma award to Natesan was a politically motivated one as assembly polls are approaching in Kerala. SNDP is the prominent forum of Hindu - Ezhava, which is an OBC community and the largest Hindu community in Kerala.