6 min readMay 26, 2026 06:25 PM IST First published on: May 26, 2026 at 06:25 PM IST“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve,” said Martin Luther King, Jr once. Mahatma Gandhi also spoke extensively about seva, emphasising that “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. A successful democracy weaves the spirit of service into public life. The Padma Awards aim to fulfil this democratic ideal by honouring public service. But while the names of the civilian awardees arouse a lot of public interest, and sometimes controversy, the award’s chequered history, legal challenges and political shifts don’t figure much in popular consciousness.The Constituent Assembly DebatesThe Constituent Assembly did not specifically debate the Padma Awards. The subtext for the silence lay in the fervid demand in the Assembly to abolish the titles doled out by the British. According to the report of the Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights, such colonial titles — whether personal or inheritable — not only created artificial distinctions between citizens but also perpetuated varied inequalities. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel also contended that titles were being abused for corrupting public life. The debates culminated in Article 18 of the Constitution which prohibits the state from conferring titles. With this, the republic was reassured that there cannot be a class that is more equal than the rest.AdvertisementDespite the vehement opposition to the continuation of pre-Independence titles, the Assembly showed some flexibility. To begin with, amendments moved by T T Krishnamachari proposing exemptions to military and academic distinctions were accepted. This enabled the state to confer military ranks, gallantry awards and academic honorific titles like Mahamahopadhyaya (for distinguished scholars of Hindu philosophy).Members such as M R Masani voiced the need for a system by which the state could honour citizens who distinguish themselves in public life through excellence and service. Hence, a distinction was drawn between “titles” and “honours”. Sri Prakasa reasoned that whereas a title hangs to one’s name as a prefix or suffix, other (non-British) states “honour” their citizens for meritorious work.Institution of Padma AwardsThe above compromise captured the sentiment in favour of recognising service and achievement beyond the old hierarchies of class and influence. It paved the way for the institution of the Padma Awards in 1954 through an executive order. Initially started with two civilian awards — the Bharat Ratna (highest civilian award) and the three-tier Padma Vibhushan — the awards were restructured a year later into three distinct awards known today: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (for distinguished service of a high order) and Padma Shri (for distinguished service). In consonance with the sentiments of the framers of the Constitution, the use of the award’s name on letterheads, posters, or as a title is prohibited.AdvertisementPolitical and Legal ChallengesBut 15 years after its inception, there was disenchantment with the Padma Awards. Notably, in 1969, Acharya J B Kripalani, who was earlier the Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights of the Constituent Assembly, tabled a private member’s bill for abolition of the awards. While arguing that the awards were not being conferred on the basis of merit, he alleged that the titles were being reintroduced in the garb of the awards. Although it was defeated after extensive discussion, it sowed the seeds for the legal and political challenges that followed later.First, the Morarji Desai-led government suspended the awards during the years 1978-79 on the grounds espoused by Kripalani’s bill. The awards were later reinstated in 1980. Second, the awards were interrupted again during the period of 1993-97 due to public interest litigations filed in the high courts challenging their constitutional validity. The matter was finally settled by the Supreme Court in Balaji Raghavan v Union of India (1996) wherein the awards were upheld to be constitutional. While the awards did overcome the legal challenges, there was a growing perception that successive governments had allowed the awards to be associated with influence and visibility, and not merit.From Patronage to People’s PadmaA leitmotif of the Modi government has been its appetite to usher reforms in the spheres where previous governments had either faltered or did not have the political will to tackle. Reclaiming the legacy of the Padma Awards fitted right in. The principal challenge lay in reorienting the awards from “elite preserve” to “People’s Awards”— true to their spirit of inclusivity and deepening of democracy.you may likeA notable reform has been the dismantling of “gate-keeper” culture through a public nomination portal for general citizenry. Earlier, recommendations were routed through governments and official circles. In a society where invisibility itself is a form of exclusion, the impact of this reform is unmistakable — from a mere 2,200 nominations in 2014 to over 50,000 in 2025. This triggered a domino effect. The 16-year data before 2014 depicts a geographical skew with 63 per cent of awardees hailing from just seven states. The participatory nomination process has helped to remove this skew, with individuals from across the nation getting their due share of recognition.The Modi government also broadened the selection criteria from mere “excellence” to recognise “service at grassroots”. The change is reflected in the faces now seen at civil investiture ceremonies — be it an 84-year-old barefoot ecologist from the Halakki tribe of Karnataka who planted 30,000 trees; or an unassuming fruit farmer from Nagaland who mentored farmers on non-native varieties; or a Bharatanatyam dancer from Tamil Nadu who became the first transgender awardee. Felicitating the quiet service of “unsung heroes” along with those who attained excellence in more visible fields of industry and science under the same high-domed halls of Rashtrapati Bhavan is a unique celebration of our unity in diversity. The Civil Investiture Ceremony of 2026 represents yet another manifestation of this complementary, and not competing, form of nation building.The writer is a former Vice Chancellor, Aligarh Muslim University and a nominated member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council