Daily News Analysis ‘Padma Awards ’ : 26 May

Why in News:

• President Droupadi Murmu conferred the prestigious Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri awards at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Padma Awards Core Institutional Facts:

• Historical Genesis: Established by the Government of India in 1954 alongside the Bharat Ratna; originally categorized as “Padma Vibhushan” with three classes (Pahela Varg, Dusra Varg, Tisra Varg) before being restructured in 1955 into three distinct honors.
• The Three Categories:
• Padma Vibhushan: Awarded for exceptional and distinguished service (the second-highest civilian honor).
• Padma Bhushan: Conferred for distinguished service of a high order.
• Padma Shri: Conferred for distinguished service in any specific field.
• Constitutional Status Regarding Titles: In strict compliance with Article 18(1) of the Constitution of India, these awards represent state recognition of merit and do not amount to noble or hereditary titles; they cannot be utilized as a prefix or suffix to the recipient’s name.
• Judicial Validity Baseline: The constitutional validity of these honors was legally challenged but upheld by the Supreme Court in the landmark Balaji Raghavan v. Union of India (1996) case, which ruled that acknowledging merit does not violate the democratic principle of equality.
• The Annual Ceiling Cap: The rules enforce a rigid annual limit of maximum 120 awards in a single year. However, this statutory cap explicitly excludes posthumous honors and decorations presented to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Foreigners, or Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs).
• The Evaluating Committee: Nominations are open to the public via a democratized self-nomination portal. These are scrutinized by the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted annually by the Prime Minister, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, and includes the Home Secretary and Secretary to the President.
• Government Servant Restriction: Serving government officials and professionals working with Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) are legally barred from nomination; however, doctors and scientists are completely exempt from this exclusion rule.
• The Upgradation Gap Rule: A previous recipient can only be nominated for a higher category of the Padma Award after a mandatory cooling-off period of at least five years has elapsed since their last conferment.
• Historical Suspensions: The presentation of these annual civilian honors has been disrupted on only two occasions: from 1978–1979 by the Morarji Desai administration, and from 1993–1997 due to protracted fundamental rights litigation in the courts.

Padma Vibhushan

Padma Bhushan