Nirpal Singh Riat’s OBE was stripped by King Charles on 12 July 2026 after a cabinet‑office review concluded he had brought the honours system into disrepute.
The 2011 honour was originally awarded by Queen Elizabeth II for services to charity and the Punjabi community, but in 2023 Hounslow Council labeled Riat a rogue landlord after it found tenants in 22 properties living in appalling conditions and uncovered illegal conversions of a house into flats and an outbuilding.
Riyat told The Times of India that the allegations were fabricated and that his lawyer had written to the forfeiture committee without receiving a reply—a silence he says pushed the decision to the extreme.
The forfeiture follows similar actions against Anil Bhanot and Tory peer Rami Ranger; Riyat has said he will seek a judicial review, citing the opaque nature of the forfeiture process.