Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards: Rules and Firsts
Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards notes for exams: year of institution, order of precedence, selection and announcement, Article 18 and the list of firsts papers ask.
By GK24 Editorial Team· Published · 4 min read
The civilian honours of India are a fixed chapter: the rules have hardly moved since they were framed, and the questions set from them are about dates, order and firsts rather than about the latest list of recipients. Learn the structure first and the individual names afterwards, because the structure is what most questions test.
Institution and order of precedence
Both the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Awards were instituted on 2 January 1954 by President Dr. Rajendra Prasad. The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of the country. The Padma awards come below it in three grades, and their order must be learnt exactly:
| Rank | Award | Given for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bharat Ratna | Exceptional service or performance of the highest order |
| 2 | Padma Vibhushan | Exceptional and distinguished service |
| 3 | Padma Bhushan | Distinguished service of a high order |
| 4 | Padma Shri | Distinguished service in any field |
When the Padma awards were created in 1954 the three classes were first named simply as the first, second and third class under the single title Padma Vibhushan. They were renamed Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri in January 1955, and the three names have stayed since.
How the awards are decided and given
Padma award recommendations are considered by the Padma Awards Committee, which the Prime Minister constitutes each year and which is headed by the Cabinet Secretary. Its recommendations go to the Prime Minister and then to the President. Nominations may be made by state governments, ministries, institutions and also by any citizen, since the government opened the process to public nominations. Not more than 120 Padma awards are given in a year, leaving aside posthumous awards and those given to foreigners and non-resident Indians.
For the Bharat Ratna there is no formal recommendation process of that kind; the Prime Minister recommends a name directly to the President. By convention not more than three are conferred in a year, and the honour may also be given posthumously. Until 2011 the award was restricted to art, literature, science and public service; in December 2011 the field was widened to any field of human endeavour, which is what made a sportsperson eligible.
Names are announced on the eve of Republic Day and the awards are conferred by the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan, usually in March or April. A recipient gets a Sanad, a certificate signed by the President, and a medallion. There is no cash award attached, and no special allowance or concession follows from the honour.
The medallion and the rule on titles
The Bharat Ratna medallion is shaped like a peepal leaf in toned bronze, with a sun and the words Bharat Ratna in Devanagari on the front, and the State Emblem with the motto Satyameva Jayate on the back. The original design of 1954 was a circular gold medal, changed within a year to the leaf.
The most examined rule is that these honours are not titles. Article 18 of the Constitution abolishes titles, and the awards may not be used as a prefix or suffix to the recipient's name. A recipient may state that the award has been conferred, but writing it as part of the name is improper and has been objected to formally. The awards were suspended twice, first between 1977 and 1980 and again between 1992 and 1996, when a public interest petition questioned whether they violated Article 18. The Supreme Court settled the matter in the Balaji Raghavan case, holding that the national awards are not titles within the meaning of Article 18 and are therefore valid, and the awards resumed.
The firsts that examiners ask
| First | Recipient |
|---|---|
| First recipients, 1954 | C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and C. V. Raman |
| First posthumous award | Lal Bahadur Shastri, 1966 |
| First woman | Indira Gandhi, 1971 |
| First non-Indian | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, 1987 |
| First sportsperson and youngest recipient | Sachin Tendulkar, 2014 |
Two further facts belong with this table. Mother Teresa, honoured in 1980, was born abroad but was an Indian citizen when the award was made, so she is not the answer to a question about the first non-Indian recipient; that answer is Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan of the then North-West Frontier Province, called the Frontier Gandhi. Nelson Mandela, honoured in 1990, was the second person not of Indian nationality to receive it.
Keeping the civilian and gallantry awards apart
The Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards are civilian honours. The gallantry awards are a separate family with their own order: the Param Vir Chakra, the Maha Vir Chakra and the Vir Chakra for gallantry in the face of the enemy, and the Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra for gallantry away from the battlefield. Questions often place one of these among the Padma options, so the two lists must not be mixed.
Exam Point of View
Four areas produce almost every question here. The first is the year 1954 and the name of the President who instituted the awards. The second is the order of precedence, usually asked as which award ranks immediately below the Bharat Ratna, where Padma Bhushan is the standard wrong option in place of Padma Vibhushan. The third is the set of firsts, and the wording decides the answer: the first three recipients, the first posthumous award to Shastri, the first woman in Indira Gandhi, the first non-Indian in Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and the first sportsperson in Sachin Tendulkar. Mother Teresa is the favourite trap, since she was born abroad but was an Indian citizen when honoured. The fourth is the constitutional angle: Article 18, the bar on using the award as a title and the Balaji Raghavan judgment. Avoid learning how many people have received the award so far, since that number changes.
Important Facts
| Instituted | 2 January 1954, by President Dr. Rajendra Prasad |
|---|---|
| Highest civilian award | Bharat Ratna |
| Order of precedence | Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri |
| Padma grades renamed | January 1955, to Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri |
| Padma Awards Committee | Constituted yearly by the Prime Minister, headed by the Cabinet Secretary |
| Annual ceiling on Padma awards | 120, excluding posthumous awards and those to foreigners and NRIs |
| Bharat Ratna convention | Not more than three in a year; recommended by the Prime Minister to the President |
| Scope widened | December 2011, to any field of human endeavour |
| Announcement and conferment | Announced on the eve of Republic Day; conferred by the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan |
| What a recipient receives | A Sanad signed by the President and a medallion; no cash award |
| Bharat Ratna medallion | A peepal leaf in toned bronze with a sun; reverse carries the State Emblem and Satyameva Jayate |
| Constitutional position | Article 18 abolishes titles; the awards cannot be used as a prefix or suffix |
| Court ruling | Balaji Raghavan case, in which the Supreme Court upheld the national awards |
| First recipients, 1954 | C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and C. V. Raman |
| First woman and first posthumous | Indira Gandhi in 1971; Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966 |
| First non-Indian recipient | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, 1987 |
Practice MCQs on this topic
The Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards were instituted in which year?
- A.1950
- B.1952
- C.1954
- D.1955
Show answer
Both honours were instituted on 2 January 1954 by President Dr. Rajendra Prasad, and the first Bharat Ratna was conferred in the same year on C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and C. V. Raman.
Read the full explanation →Which civilian award of India ranks immediately below the Bharat Ratna?
- A.Padma Shri
- B.Padma Vibhushan
- C.Padma Bhushan
- D.Ashoka Chakra
Show answer
The order of precedence of the civilian honours runs Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, and the Padma Vibhushan is given for exceptional and distinguished service.
Read the full explanation →Who were the first recipients of the Bharat Ratna in 1954?
- A.Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and Rajendra Prasad
- B.C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan and C. V. Raman
- C.B. R. Ambedkar, C. V. Raman and Zakir Husain
- D.Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari
Show answer
All three were honoured in 1954, the first year of the award. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India, Radhakrishnan was a philosopher who later became President, and Raman was the physicist who discovered the effect that carries his name.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first person to be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously?
- A.Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
- B.Lal Bahadur Shastri
- C.B. R. Ambedkar
- D.Subhas Chandra Bose
Show answer
Until then the honour had been given only to living persons.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first woman to receive the Bharat Ratna?
- A.Mother Teresa
- B.Sarojini Naidu
- C.Indira Gandhi
- D.M. S. Subbulakshmi
Show answer
She was Prime Minister at the time, and the award followed the events of that year.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first person not of Indian nationality to be awarded the Bharat Ratna?
- A.Nelson Mandela
- B.Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
- C.Mother Teresa
- D.Dalai Lama
Show answer
Known as the Frontier Gandhi, he led the non-violent Khudai Khidmatgar movement in the North-West Frontier Province and remained a citizen of Pakistan after partition, which makes him the first recipient who was not an Indian national.
Read the full explanation →Under the Constitution of India, which Article abolishes titles and is cited in connection with the civilian awards?
- A.Article 14
- B.Article 16
- C.Article 18
- D.Article 21
Show answer
Because of it, the Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards may not be used as a prefix or suffix to a recipient's name, and the awards were challenged on this ground before the Supreme Court upheld them in the Balaji Raghavan case.
Read the full explanation →The Padma Awards Committee, which considers nominations each year, is headed by whom?
- A.The Home Minister
- B.The Cabinet Secretary
- C.The Vice President
- D.The Chief Justice of India
Show answer
The Padma Awards Committee is constituted afresh by the Prime Minister each year and is headed by the Cabinet Secretary, with the Home Secretary, the Secretary to the President and a number of eminent persons as members.
Read the full explanation →What is the maximum number of Padma awards that may be conferred in a year, excluding posthumous awards and those given to foreigners and non-resident Indians?
- A.50
- B.100
- C.120
- D.150
Show answer
The rules provide that not more than 120 Padma awards may be conferred in a year, and awards made posthumously and those given to foreigners and non-resident Indians are counted outside that ceiling.
Read the full explanation →The Bharat Ratna medallion is shaped like which leaf?
- A.Banyan leaf
- B.Peepal leaf
- C.Lotus leaf
- D.Mango leaf
Show answer
The Bharat Ratna medallion is made in toned bronze in the shape of a peepal leaf, with a platinum sun and the words Bharat Ratna in Devanagari on the front, and the State Emblem of India with the motto Satyameva Jayate on the back.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first sportsperson to receive the Bharat Ratna?
- A.Dhyan Chand
- B.Milkha Singh
- C.Sachin Tendulkar
- D.Vishwanathan Anand
Show answer
He became eligible because the scope of the award had been widened in December 2011 from art, literature, science and public service to any field of human endeavour, and he is also the youngest person to receive the Bharat Ratna.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements about the Bharat Ratna is correct?
- A.It carries a fixed cash award along with the medallion
- B.It may be used as a prefix before the recipient's name
- C.It is conferred by the Prime Minister at Parliament House
- D.The recipient is given a Sanad signed by the President and a medallion
Show answer
A recipient of the Bharat Ratna is given a Sanad, which is a certificate signed by the President, together with the medallion, and the award is conferred at Rashtrapati Bhavan, usually a few weeks after the names are announced on the eve of Republic Day.
Read the full explanation →Frequently Asked Questions
When were the Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards instituted?
Both were instituted on 2 January 1954 by President Dr. Rajendra Prasad. The Padma awards were at first divided into three classes under a single name and were renamed Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri in January 1955, which is the arrangement in use ever since.
What is the correct order of precedence of India's civilian awards?
The Bharat Ratna stands highest, followed by the Padma Vibhushan, then the Padma Bhushan and then the Padma Shri. Examiners test this order more often than any other fact from the chapter, usually by offering Padma Bhushan where Padma Vibhushan is the correct answer.
Can the Bharat Ratna be used as a title before a person's name?
No. Article 18 of the Constitution abolishes titles, and the terms of the award state that it cannot be used as a prefix or suffix to the recipient's name. A recipient may say that the honour has been conferred on them, but writing it as part of the name is not permitted.
Who decides the Padma awards?
A Padma Awards Committee constituted each year by the Prime Minister and headed by the Cabinet Secretary considers the nominations, which may come from state governments, ministries, institutions or any citizen. Its recommendations go to the Prime Minister and then to the President, who confers the awards.
Why were the awards suspended at times?
They were suspended between 1977 and 1980 and again between 1992 and 1996, when the question was raised whether they amounted to titles forbidden by Article 18. The Supreme Court settled the issue in the Balaji Raghavan case, holding that national awards are not titles within the meaning of that Article, and the awards were resumed.
Is any cash amount given with these awards?
No. A recipient is given a Sanad, a certificate signed by the President, and a medallion. There is no monetary grant, and the government has stated that no special allowance, concession or privilege follows from the honour.
Sources
- Padma Awards: about the awards and the selection process — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India
- The Constitution of India, Article 18 — Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India
- Releases on the conferment of civilian honours — Press Information Bureau, Government of India
