Govt has right to take back Arjuna awards — Uma

New Delhi, Jan 15: Sports Minister Uma Bharti today said the Government has a right to take back Arjuna awards from tainted players as the...

New Delhi, Jan 15: Sports Minister Uma Bharti today said the Government has a right to take back Arjuna awards from tainted players as there is a provision for this in the rules under which the national awards are given.

"There is a provision that the Arjuna awards can be taken back if those things are negated (by a sportsperson) for which it is given," Bharti told reporters here.

The Government had received representations of some of the players explainaing their stand on the issue, she said in reply to questions by newspersons after her deposition before the Liberhan Commission, probing demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya.

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Regarding the move to make match-fixing a criminal offence, Bharti said her ministry had already sent the proposal to the Union Law Ministry and also discussed the matter in detail with Law Minister Arun Jaitley.

Asked about some players threatening to go to court against the ban imposed on them by the cricket board, the Sports Minister said "they have every right to go to court."

The proposal to make match-fixing a criminal offence had been mooted by the Government in the wake of the scandal in which some top players were found involved by the CBI, Bharti had said earlier.

Three cricketers — Mohd Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar — who had been honoured with the Arjuna Award and recently banished by the cricket board, were asked to show cause why the awards should not be withdrawn.