Man Fined ₹10K by Orissa HC for Baseless Padma Shri Claim Against Namesake Journalist

The Orissa High Court imposed a ₹10,000 cost on Dr. Antaryami Mishra, who claimed he was wrongly denied the Padma Shri in favour of another person with the same name, a journalist. 

Mishra alleged he was the rightful recipient due to his literary contributions and 29 published books.

However, the Court found no supporting evidence, noting he failed to submit any proof despite multiple chances, and his case was based on vague phone calls from alleged government sources

The Court observed that such baseless claims demean the award’s prestige and waste judicial time. 

The Court also criticized the situation where, despite government verifications, identity confusion led to unnecessary legal proceedings.