The Bombay High Court has reiterated that India’s top civilian honours, including the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, and the Bharat Ratna, are not legal titles and cannot be used as prefixes or suffixes to a person’s name. The court clarified that such usage is legally impermissible and must be avoided in judicial and official records.
Padma Shri Does Not Fall Under Titles
Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan made the observation while hearing a petition involving Padma Shri awardee Dr Sharad Moreshwar Hardikar. The court objected to his name being mentioned as ‘Padma Shri Dr Sharad Moreshwar Hardikar’ in case documents and directed that the award prefix be removed. The judge stressed that civilian awards signify recognition, not honorific titles.
Referring to a 1995 Constitution Bench judgment of the Supreme Court in Balaji Raghavan v. Union of India, the High Court noted that the legal position is settled. The apex court had ruled that national awards do not fall under ‘titles’ prohibited by Article 18 of the Constitution and should not be used before or after names.
Citing Article 141, the High Court underlined that Supreme Court rulings are binding on all courts and directed strict compliance in future proceedings.
