BALAJI RAGHAVAN S.P. ANAND versus UNION OF INDIA

BALAJI RAGHAVAN S.P. ANAND versus UNION OF INDIA

National Awards such as Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are not 'titles' within the meaning of Article 18(1) of the Constitution of India and may be conferred to recognize merit and excellence, provided they are not used as suffixes or prefixes; awards do not violate constitutional equality and are necessary to...

Source-derived case information.

Parties
Petitioner: Balaji Raghavan; Petitioner: S.P. Anand; Respondent: Union of India
Jurisdiction
India
Judgment Date
15 December 1995
Procedural Posture
Transferred Case (c) No. 9 of 1994 With Transferred Case (c) No. 1 of 1995 (under Article 139 A(1) of the Constitution of India) / Final Disposition by Constitution Bench
Outcome
Petitions disposed of; no costs.
Legal Topics
National Awards, Titles, Equality Before Law, Fundamental Duties, Award Guidelines
Constitutional Law Administrative Law National Awards Titles Equality Before Law Fundamental Duties Award Guidelines

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Parties

Balaji Raghavan

Petitioner

S.P. Anand

Petitioner

Union of India

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Transferred Case (c) No. 9 of 1994 With Transferred Case (c) No. 1 of 1995 (under Article 139 A(1) of the Constitution of India) / Final Disposition by Constitution Bench

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri are 'titles' within Article 18(1) of the Constitution of India
  2. 2 Whether conferment of National Awards violates Article 14 (Equality before Law)
  3. 3 Adequacy of guidelines for selection of awardees

Ratio Decidendi

National Awards such as Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are not 'titles' within the meaning of Article 18(1) of the Constitution of India and may be conferred to recognize merit and excellence, provided they are not used as suffixes or prefixes; awards do not violate constitutional equality and are necessary to encourage performance of fundamental duties; however, existing guidelines for selection are unsatisfactory and need reform, including limiting the number of awards.

Court Disposition

Petitions disposed of; no costs.

Orders

  • The existing guidelines for National Awards selection are unsatisfactory and need review.
  • The number of awards should not exceed fifty per year.