NEW DELHI: The Bharat Ratna and Padma awards are not titles and cannot be used as prefix or suffix to names and they can be withdrawn in case of misuse, the government said on Tuesday.
Replying to a written question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said the national awards such as Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri “do not amount to titles within the meaning of Article 18(1) of the Constitution and thus are not to be used as prefixes or suffixes to the name of the recipient in any manner whatsoever”.
The article is about ‘Abolition of titles’ and its section 1 states, “No title, not being a military or academic distinction, shall be conferred by the State.”
The minister said that in case of any misuse, the defaulter shall forfeit the national award conferred on him or her. (PTI)
