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PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
NEW DELHI, DEC 8: Did Amartya Sen win Nobel Prize in economics for the year 1998? No, says a petition filed in the Supreme Court, adding that he won only the Bank of Sweden (Sveriges Riksbank) prize in economic sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel, which was instituted by the bank in 1968.
The petition, likely to be heard next week, filed by Dr S C Roy from Calcutta seeks a direction from the Court to the government to clarify the confusion over the award to Sen. Roy, in support of his claim, has annexed a letter from the chief legal counseller of the Swedish Bank R Sparve, who, said, ``difference between the Bank of Sweden prize and the others (Nobel prizes)is, in my opinion, evident from its name and the authorities in Sweden responsible for the selection of the laureates consistently repeat it.''
``I fail to see that any reasonable ground for confusion. If some news media omit the difference in every report about the prize in economics, it is not, in my opinion, an omission for which Swedish authoritiesshould be made responsible,'' Sparve said.
Roy said Alfred Nobel in his will made on November 27, 1895, had envisaged award of Nobel prizes in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace and that economics was never a part of the will. The first Nobel prize was awarded in 1900.
The petitioner has arrayed Union of India, Amartya Sen, PTI, UNI, State of West Bengal and Calcutta Municipal Corporation as respondents. Roy said he held a press conference in Calcutta to remove the confusion created by the press in India due to mistake of fact, but, instead of being appreciated for his efforts in this regard, he was accused of tarnishing the image of Sen.
However, Roy could not answer a query from PTI as to why the Nobel Foundation has not protested against the economic prize winners being called Nobel laureates since 1968, when the prize was instituted and 43 persons have got it till date.
He said he was being threatened with life for bringing out the truth and sought a direction fromthe Court to the government to restrain circulation and publication of any report that claims that Amartya Sen won Nobel Prize in economics.
Roy has also annexed his communication with the Nobel Foundation through Internet to establish his claim. Roy had asked -- as the Nobel Foundation awards the five Nobel prizes and the Swedish Bank prize for economics in memory of Alfred Nobel, whether all the recipients could be called Nobel laureates? The Nobel Foundation said the winner of the Swedish Bank award should be called a prize winner and not a Nobel laureate.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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