The following is an incomplete list of people who have either declined or renounced an Indian honour or decoration. These include recipients of the Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards (Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri), along with other Indian governmental awards. In some instances, the families of an intended posthumous recipient of a national honour have declined the award for various reasons. Since the honours system was instituted in 1954, approximately 50 individuals have either refused or returned their honours, most of which were awarded in the categories of Art and in Literature and Education.
The President of India may cancel and annul any honour if the recipient commits any acts of criminal misconduct or otherwise abuses the award. As there are no specific guidelines for otherwise withdrawing a national honour from a recipient, the acts of returning/renouncing an award to register a protest, or refusing an award after an official awards list has been published, are only symbolic actions. For instance, while independence activist and educationist Asha Devi Aryanayakam refused the Padma Shri after it was conferred upon her in 1954, she remains on the official register of Padma awardees. In 1984, poet and novelist Khushwant Singh, a 1974 Padma Bhushan honoree, returned the honour to protest the Indian army's Operation Blue Star; in spite of this, he remains listed as a Padma Bhushan recipient.
Bharat Ratna
Refused the honor
An Indian freedom fighter and public figure, H. N. Kunzru was nominated for the highest Indian civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in 1968 but he declined, citing his opposition to such honours in a Republic, which he had first voiced during the Constituent Assembly debates.
Prominent independence movement leader and India's first Minister of Education Maulana Abul Kalam Azad declined the honour, arguing that those who were on selection committees for national honours should not themselves receive them. He received a posthumous Bharat Ratna in 1992. A freedom fighter and a spiritual leader, Hanuman Prasad Poddar was nominated personally by then Home Minister Govind Ballabh Pant on special request by President of India, Rajendra Prasad but he politely declined, saying he wished to avoid honours and felt that accepting such awards could lead to awkward political situations.
Refusal of posthumous conferment (Subhas Chandra Bose)
In 1992, the surviving family of nationalist leader and revolutionary Subhas Chandra Bose, who had died under mysterious circumstances in 1945, were contacted about accepting a posthumous Bharat Ratna on Bose's behalf; however, his family declined the honour, citing the length of time it had taken the government to recognize him.
Padma Vibhushan Refused the honour P. N. Haksar was offered the award in 1973 for, among other services, his crucial diplomatic role in brokering the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and the Shimla Agreement, but declined as "Accepting an award for work done somehow causes an inexplicable discomfort to me."
E. M. S. Namboodiripad, the former General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from 1978) and the first Chief Minister of Kerala (1957–59, 1967–69), declined the award in 1992, as it went against his nature to accept a state honour.
Swami Ranganathananda declined the award in 2000 as it was conferred to him as an individual and not to the Ramakrishna Mission.
Yoga Guru and leader and founder of the Patanjali Baba Ramdev declined the Padma Vibhushan in 2015 as "we work with a spirit of a saints, and awards are irrelevant to us."
Returned the honour
Parkash Singh Badal, a former chief minister of Punjab and a 2015 Padma Vibhushan recipient, returned the honour in December 2020 in support of the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protests, writing to the President "I am who I am because of the people, especially the common farmer. Today, when [the farmer] has lost more than his honour, I see no point in holding on to the Padma Vibhushan honour."
Refusal of posthumous conferment
In 2011, the family of Lakshmi Chand Jain refused to accept the posthumous honour as Jain was against accepting state honours.
Padma Bhushan Refused the honour Bengali theatre activist Sisir Kumar Bhaduri (1959) was the first awardee who refused his conferment as "he felt state awards merely help create a sycophantic brigade" and "did not want to encourage the impression that the government was serious about the importance of theatre in national life." Sociologist G. S. Ghurye declined the honour as he felt he deserved the higher Padma Vibhushan, given the calibre of others who had received the more prestigious decoration. Journalist Nikhil Chakravarty rejected the award in 1990 stating that the "journalists should not be identified with the establishment." Historian Romila Thapar refused to accept the award twice, for the first time in 1992, and later again in 2005, stating that she would accept awards only "from academic institutions or those associated with my professional work." For her 2005 bestowal, Thapar sent a clarification letter to the then President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam mentioning that she had declined to accept the award when the Ministry of Human Resource Development had contacted her three month prior to the award announcement and had explained her reasons for not accepting the award. Journalist and civil servant K. Subrahmanyam also refused his 1999 bestowal citing that "bureaucrats and journalists should not accept any award from the government because they are more liable to be favoured." Industrialist Keshub Mahindra (2002, reasons not given) In 2003, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sanghs (RSS) volunteer Dattopant Thengadi rejected the award until K. B. Hedgewar (RSS founder) and M. S. Golwalkar (RSS ideologue) were offered the Bharat Ratna. Former Minister of Commerce and Industry of Rajasthan and Sarvodaya activist Siddharaj Dhadda (declined in 2003). Civil servant S. R. Sankaran turned down the award in 2005, as he could not accept any award for merely doing his duty. Author Krishna Sobti declined to accept in 2010, as she was already a 1996 recipient of a Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, "the biggest recognition for a writer," and that as a writer she "had to keep a distance from the establishment." In 2013, playback singer S. Janaki refused to accept her award and stated that "the award has come late in her five-and-half-decade long career." The singer also mentioned that she is not against the Government and expressed happiness for the recognition but requested the Government to "show some more consideration to the artists from the southern parts of the country. Former Chief Minister of West Bengal and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee declined the honour in 2022, saying "Nobody said anything to me about this. If I have been given the award, then I refuse it."
Refusal of posthumous conferment In 2014, family members of J. S. Verma who served as 27th Chief Justice of India refused the posthumous conferral stating that "Verma himself would not have accepted" the honour as he "never hankered or lobbied for any acclaim, reward or favour."
Returned the honour Hindi author and parliamentarian Seth Govind Das, who had received the honour in 1961, returned it in 1968 to protest the amendment of the Official Languages Act, 1963, which allowed for the continued official use of the English language. Hindi novelist and playwright Vrindavan Lal Verma, who had been honoured in 1965, returned the honour in 1968 to protest the amendment of the Official Languages Act 1963, which allowed for the continued official use of the English language. Kannada novelist K. Shivaram Karanth, who was honoured in 1968, returned his award to protest against the Emergency declared in the country in 1975. Social worker Inder Mohan, who had been honoured in 1990, returned his award the following year "in protest against anti-people policies of the establishment as a whole rather than a particular Government." Indian freedom fighter and Communist Party of India leader Satyapal Dang, a 1998 recipient, returned the honour in 2005 to protest the "gross violation" of government honours. Pushpa Mittra Bhargava, 1986 recipient and scientist and founder-director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), returned his award in 2015 in protest of the Dadri mob lynching and out of concern at the "prevailing socio-political situation" in the country. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, a 2019 recipient and leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Democratic) party, returned the award in December 2020 in support of the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protests, stating the honour was "worthless" when the BJP-led federal government was ignoring farmers. In 1968, one unidentified recipient of the Padma Bhushan returned the honour to protest the Official Languages (Amendment) Bill.
Padma Shri Refused the honour Freedom fighter and educationist Asha Devi Aryanayakam (1954; on personal grounds). Politician Kashi Prasad Pandey (1967; on personal grounds). Odia poet and dramatist Kavichandra Kalicharan Patnaik (1974; on personal grounds). Vocalist Tarapada Chakraborty (1974; on personal grounds). Music director and composer Hemanta Mukherjee (1988, for unknown reasons). Philanthropist Dipchand Savraj Gardi (1915-2014) (2002, reasons not given). Academic and author Mamoni Raisom Goswami declined the honour in 2002 after admirers observed she had previously received the Jnanpith Award and therefore should not accept a less-prestigious Padma Shri. Author Chandra Prasad Saikia (2002, reasons not given). He received a posthumous Padma Bhushan in 2007. Assamese journalist Kanak Sen Deka declined the honour in 2005, stating his acceptance of the lowest-ranking Padma award would have diminished the prestigious literary and journalism awards he had already received. Kuntagodu Vibhuti Subbanna (awarded in the Arts category; declined in 2005). Malayalam writer Sukumar Azhikode refused the honour in 2007, deeming it "unconstitutional." Noted Bollywood screenwriter Salim Khan refused the Padma Shri in 2015 as "it does not match my status and work." Tamil writer B. Jeyamohan declined in 2016, stating that as a writer who was already being targeted for his politics, acceptance of the award could compromise his independence and the integrity of his ideas." Journalist Virendra Kapoor declined the honour in 2016, stating, "I have nothing against the government, [but] I have not accepted anything from any government in the last 40 years, and I don’t believe in taking anything from the government." Sitarist Imrat Khan, the younger brother of Vilayat Khan, declined the honour in 2017 as he had "mixed feelings about...the purpose of this award which comes perhaps many decades late — while my juniors receive the Padma Bhushan." Spiritual teacher Siddeshwar Swami of the Jnana Yogashrama in Vijayapura declined the honour in 2018 as a sanyasi did not need "any award or honour," and that he had "not accepted any awards" before. Author Gita Mehta declined the honour in 2019, stating that while she was "deeply honoured that the Government of India should think me worthy of a Padma Shri," she felt it necessary to decline "with great regret" due to the upcoming general elections, "as the timing of the award might be misconstrued, causing embarrassment both to the Government and myself, which I would much regret." Singer and musician Sandhya Mukherjee declined the honour in 2022 as she felt "insulted" by the offer of a relatively lower-ranked Padma Shri, given her well-recognised stature and her advanced age.