Muzaffarpur (Bihar) : Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has honoured with a first civilian award ‘’Bharatha Rathna’’. The UPA government has announced the decision within hours of his bidding adieu to cricket last week and as expected the decision had drawn into controversies.

A local lawyer Sudhir Kumar Ojha filed a case by challenging the selection of Sachin for Bharat Ratna. The petitioner has included the names of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde as accused.

The legendary  cricketer too has been named as an accused in the case filed under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (offences relating to cheating and dishonesty) 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 417 (punishment for cheating), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 120(B) (punishment of criminal conspiracy).

He alleged that soon after the ‘Master blaster’ bid adieu to the game, they conspired to select him for the award for his contributions to the sport and ignore the hockey legend Dhyanchand.

‘’None  of the distinguished persons like Hockey legend Dhyanchand,former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia or other cricketers who had brought glory to the country had been considered for the award.But a millionaire like Sachin Tendulkar has been given the award under a conspiracy,” the petition said.The court has  admitted the case and fixed December 10 for the hearing in the matter.