President Droupadi Murmu presented the Padma Awards 2026 at the Second Civil Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, on 23 June 2026. The President conferred Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri Awards at the ceremony. Among the dignitaries present were the Vice President of India, the Prime Minister of India and the Union Minister for Home Affairs.
The second Civil Investiture Ceremony saw the President confer 65 Padma Awards in all, comprising two Padma Vibhushan, seven Padma Bhushan and 56 Padma Shri honours. The First Civil Investiture Ceremony, held on 25 May 2026, conferred 66 awards. On Republic Day eve, the government had announced 131 Padma Awards for 2026 in total, including five Padma Vibhushan awards.
The Padma Awards are among the highest civilian awards of the country, conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. Instituted in 1954, these awards are announced on Republic Day every year. They seek to recognise distinguished and exceptional achievements across fields including Art, Literature, Education, Sports, Medicine, Social Work, Science and Engineering, Public Affairs, and Trade and Industry.
Padma Vibhushan
Shri P. Narayanan, widely known as Narayanji, received the Padma Vibhushan for his contributions to nationalistic journalism in Kerala. He steered the Janmabhumi daily from its founding in 1975 and authored a landmark two-volume history of nationalist politics in Kerala. Justice (Retd.) K. T. Thomas, a former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, also received the Padma Vibhushan. He is recognised for his contributions to criminal law, police reforms and combating corruption in private professional education.
Padma Bhushan
Among the notable Padma Bhushan recipients, Dr. Vijay Amritraj, one of India’s greatest tennis players, was honoured. During a career spanning two decades representing India in the Davis Cup, he achieved a career-high world ranking of 16 — the highest ever by an Indian — and won 16 ATP Tour singles titles, the most by any Asian player. On receiving the honour, Amritraj said he was “extremely excited and happy about this magnificent honour from the Government of India.”
Shri Mammootty, the Malayalam film actor and producer, received the Padma Bhushan for a career spanning five decades in which he has acted in over 400 films. He has won three National Film Awards for Best Actor and ten Kerala State Film Awards.
Noted playback singer Alka Yagnik was awarded the Padma Bhushan for her three-decade-long contribution to Indian music.
Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori, an internationally acclaimed oncologist who served as Professor and Chairman of Oncology at Cornell Medical Centre in New York, was awarded the Padma Bhushan in the field of medicine. He has written over 300 scientific articles and trained more than 300 medical residents and fellows worldwide.
The Padma Bhushan was also conferred posthumously on Shri Shibu Soren, one of India’s foremost Adivasi mass leaders and a principal architect of the Jharkhand movement, who passed away on 4 August 2025. He founded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in 1972 and served as Chief Minister of Jharkhand across three terms.
Padma Shri
Former India cricket captain Rohit Sharma was conferred the Padma Shri in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Indian cricket. Under his captaincy, India’s men’s team won the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Hockey star Savita Punia was also awarded the Padma Shri for her contributions to Indian women’s hockey. Dr. Armida Fernandez, a renowned paediatrician and neonatologist, was conferred the Padma Shri for her significant contributions to medicine and public health.
The list of awardees at the second ceremony included two Americans, a Russian and a Georgian citizen, reflecting the awards’ recognition of distinguished contributions across nationalities.
