Bharat Ratna

Table of contents

Context (IE): Controversy over the Home Minister’s remarks about Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and the history of the Bharat Ratna has sparked debate over its political use and history.

About Bharat Ratna

The Bharat Ratna is India’s highest civilian honour, established in 1954.
The original statute, released in January 1954, did not contain any provision for posthumous awards. The provision for posthumous awards was added in the 1966 statute.

On the Prime Minister’s suggestion to the President of India, a maximum of three Bharat Ratna awards can be presented each year.
The awardees are not allowed to use Bharat Ratna as a prefix or suffix to their names, as stated in Article 18(1) of the Indian Constitution.

Article 18(1) abolishes all titles. It prohibits the State from conferring titles on anybody whether a citizen or a non-citizen.

There is no formal requirement that the Award be granted solely to Indian nationals.
This prestigious prize was given to a naturalized Indian citizen, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, popularly known as Mother Teresa (1980).
The prize was given to Non-Indians like:
1. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) and
2. Nelson Mandela (1990).
The first recipients of the Award were Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, Sir C.V. Raman, and Chakravarti Rajagopalachari in 1954.
Sachin Tendulkar is the first sportsperson and the youngest recipient of the Bharat Ratna.

The recipient of the award receives a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medallion. The medallion is cast in Bronze. The design of the medallion resembles the leaf of the pipal tree, with a sunburst in the center. The words ‘Bharat Ratna’ are engraved below it.
The emblem of India is embossed on the back, & ‘Satyameva Jayate’ inscribed in Devanagari script.
The award does not include any monetary endowment.

Initially, it was only awarded for achievements in literature, science, arts, and public services.
The Government of India expanded the criteria in 2011 to include “any field of human endeavor”.
There is no written rule stating that the Award can only be awarded to Indian citizens.

53 awardees till date, including prominent politicians (Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, S. Radhakrishnan, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, BC Roy, Govind Ballabh Pant, etc.)
Award is generally not conferred posthumously but is granted in exceptional cases.
18 posthumous awards (Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Morarji Desai & M.G. Ramachandran).

In 1992, Subhash Chandra Bose was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna. However, due to the lack of concrete evidence regarding his death, his family refused to accept the award.

Also, refer to Bharat Ratna Awardees 2024