# List of Padma Vibhushan award recipients

The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for the "exceptional and distinguished service", without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. The Padma Vibhushan award recipients are announced every year on Republic Day and registered in The Gazette of India—a publication released weekly by the Department of Publication, Ministry of Urban Development used for official government notices. The conferral of the award is not considered official without its publication in the Gazette. Recipients whose awards have been revoked or restored, both of which require the authority of the President, are also registered in the Gazette and are required to surrender their medals when their names are struck from the register. As of 2020, none of the conferments of Padma Vibhushan have been revoked or restored. The recommendations are received from all the state and the union territory governments, the Ministries of the Government, the Bharat Ratna and previous Padma Vibhushan award recipients, the Institutes of Excellence, the Ministers, the Chief Ministers and the Governors of State, and the Members of Parliament including private individuals. The recommendations received during 1 May and 15 September of every year are submitted to the Padma Awards Committee, constituted by the Prime Minister. The committee recommendations are later submitted to the Prime Minister and the President for the further approval.
When instituted in 1954, the Padma Vibhushan was classified as "Pahela Varg" (Class I) under the three-tier Padma Vibhushan awards; preceded by the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, and followed by "Dusra Varg" (Class II), and "Tisra Varg" (Class III). On 15 January 1955, the Padma Vibhushan was reclassified into three different awards; the Padma Vibhushan, the highest of the three, followed by the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri. The criteria includes "exceptional and distinguished service in any field including service rendered by Government servants" but excluding those working with the Public sector undertakings with the exception of doctors and scientists. The 1954 statutes did not allow posthumous awards but this was subsequently modified in the January 1955 statute. The award, along with other personal civil honours, was briefly suspended twice in its history; for the first time in July 1977 when Morarji Desai was sworn in as the fourth Prime Minister. The suspension was rescinded on 25 January 1980, after Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister. The civilian awards were suspended again in mid-1992, when two Public-Interest Litigations were filed in the High Courts questioning the civilian awards being "Titles" per an interpretation of Article 18 (1) of the Constitution. The awards were reintroduced by the Supreme Court in December 1995, following the conclusion of the litigation.
The recipients receive a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medal with no monetary grant associated with the award. The decoration is a circular-shaped toned bronze medallion 1+3⁄4 inches (44 mm) in diameter and 1⁄8 inch (3.2 mm) thick. The centrally placed pattern made of outer lines of a square of 1+3⁄16 inches (30 mm) side is embossed with a knob embossed within each of the outer angles of the pattern. A raised circular space of diameter 1+1⁄16 inches (27 mm) is placed at the centre of the decoration. A centrally located lotus flower is embossed on the obverse side of the medal and the text "Padma" written in Devanagari script is placed above and the text "Vibhushan" is placed below the lotus. The Emblem of India is placed in the centre of the reverse side with the national motto, "Satyameva Jayate" (Truth alone triumphs) in Devanagari Script, inscribed on the lower edge. The rim, the edges and all embossing on either side is of white gold with the text "Padma Vibhushan" of silver gilt. The medal is suspended by a pink riband 1+1⁄4 inches (32 mm) in width. It is ranked fourth in the order of precedence of wearing of medals and decorations.
The first recipients of the Padma Vibhushan were Satyendra Nath Bose, Nandalal Bose, Zakir Husain, Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher, V. K. Krishna Menon, and Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, who were honoured in 1954. As of 2025, the award has been bestowed on 343 individuals, including thirty-two posthumous and twenty-five non-citizen recipients. Some of the recipients have refused or returned their awards; P. N. Haksar, Vilayat Khan, E. M. S. Namboodiripad, Swami Ranganathananda, and Manikonda Chalapathi Rau refused the award; the family members of Lakshmi Chand Jain (2011) and Sharad Anantrao Joshi (2016) declined their posthumous conferments, and 1986 recipient Baba Amte and 2015 recipient Parkash Singh Badal returned theirs honour in 1991 and 2020 respectively. The 2025 award was bestowed upon seven recipients – D. Nageshwara Reddy, Jagdish Singh Khehar, Kumudini Lakhia, L. Subramaniam, M. T. Vasudevan Nair (posthumous), Osamu Suzuki (posthumous) and Sharda Sinha (posthumous).

## Recipients

* 1954
* 1960
* 1970
* 1980
* 1990
* 2000
* 2010
* 2020
Key :
| + Naturalised citizen recipient | * Non-citizen recipient | # Posthumous recipient |
| Year | Image | Laureates | Field | State / Country |
| 1954 | | Satyendra Nath Bose (1894–1974) | Science & Engineering | West Bengal |
| 1954 | | Nandalal Bose (1882–1966) | Arts | West Bengal |
| 1954 | | Zakir Husain (1897–1969) | Public Affairs | Andhra Pradesh |
| 1954 | | B. G. Kher (1888–1957) | Public Affairs | Maharashtra |
| 1954 | | V. K. Krishna Menon (1896–1974) | Public Affairs | Kerala |
| 1954 | | Jigme Dorji Wangchuck* (1928–1972) | Public Affairs | Bhutan |
| 1955 | | Dhondo Keshav Karve (1858–1962) | Literature & Education | Maharashtra |
| 1955 | | J. R. D. Tata (1904–1993) | Trade & Industry | Maharashtra |
| 1956 | | Fazl Ali (1886–1959) | Public Affairs | Bihar |
| 1956 | | Janaki Devi Bajaj (1893–1979) | Social Work | Madhya Pradesh |
| 1956 | | Chandulal Madhavlal Trivedi (1893–1980) | Public Affairs | Madhya Pradesh |
| 1957 | | Ghanshyam Das Birla (1894–1983) | Trade & Industry | Rajasthan |
| 1957 | | Sri Prakasa (1890–1971) | Public Affairs | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1957 | | M. C. Setalvad (1884–1974) | Public Affairs | Maharashtra |
| 1958 | No awards | No awards | No awards | No awards |
| 1959 | | John Matthai (1886–1959) | Literature & Education | Kerala |
| 1959 | | Gaganvihari Lallubhai Mehta (1900–1974) | Social Work | Maharashtra |
| 1959 | | Radhabinod Pal (1886–1967) | Public Affairs | West Bengal |
| 1960 | | Narayana Raghvan Pillai (1898–1992) | Public Affairs | Tamil Nadu |
| 1961 | No awards | No awards | No awards | No awards |
| 1962 | | H. V. R. Iyengar (1902–1978) | Civil Service | Tamil Nadu |
| 1962 | | Padmaja Naidu (1900–1975) | Public Affairs | Andhra Pradesh |
| 1962 | | Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1900–1990) | Civil Service | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1963 | | Suniti Kumar Chatterji (1890–1977) | Literature & Education | West Bengal |
| 1963 | | A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar (1887–1974) | Medicine | Tamil Nadu |
| 1963 | | Hari Vinayak Pataskar (1892–1970) | Public Affairs | Maharashtra |
| 1964 | | Acharya Kakasaheb Kalelkar (1885–1981) | Literature & Education | Maharashtra |
| 1964 | | Gopinath Kaviraj (1887–1976) | Literature & Education | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1965 | | General Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri (1908–1983) | Civil Service | West Bengal |
| 1965 | | Mehdi Nawaz Jung (1894–1967) | Public Affairs | Telangana |
| 1965 | | Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh DFC (1919–2017) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 1966 | | Valerian Gracias (1900–1978) | Social Work | Maharashtra |
| 1967 | | C. K. Daphtary (1893–1983) | Public Affairs | Maharashtra |
| 1967 | | Hafiz Mohamad Ibrahim (1889–1968) | Civil Service | Andhra Pradesh |
| 1967 | | Bhola Nath Jha | Civil Service | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1967 | | P. V. R. Rao | Civil Service | Andhra Pradesh |
| 1968 | | Madhav Shrihari Aney (1880–1968) | Public Affairs | Madhya Pradesh |
| 1968 | | Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar* (1910–1995) | Science & Engineering | United States |
| 1968 | | Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (1893–1972) | Literature & Education | Delhi |
| 1968 | | Kirpal Singh (1894–1974) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 1968 | | Kalyan Sundaram (1904–1992) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 1969 | | Rajeshwar Dayal (1909–1999) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 1969 | | Dattatraya Shridhar Joshi | Civil Service | Maharashtra |
| 1969 | | Har Gobind Khorana* (1922–2011) | Literature & Education | United States |
| 1969 | | Mohan Sinha Mehta (1895–1986) | Civil Service | Rajasthan |
| 1969 | | Ghananand Pande (1902–1995) | Civil Service | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1970 | | Tara Chand (1888–1973) | Literature & Education | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1970 | | Group Captain Suranjan Das# (1920–1970) | Civil Service | West Bengal |
| 1970 | | Anthony Lancelot Dias (1910–2002) | Public Affairs | Maharashtra |
| 1970 | | General Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam DSO MBE (1913–2000) | Civil Service | Tamil Nadu |
| 1970 | | A. Ramasamy Mudaliar (1913–2000) | Civil Service | Andhra Pradesh |
| 1970 | | Binay Ranjan Sen (1898–1993) | Civil Service | West Bengal |
| 1970 | | Lieutenant General Harbaksh Singh VrC (1913–1999) | Civil Service | Punjab |
| 1971 | | Bimala Prasad Chaliha (1912–1971) | Civil Service | Assam |
| 1971 | | Allauddin Khan (1862–1972) | Arts | West Bengal |
| 1971 | | Sumati Morarjee (1909–1998) | Civil Service | Maharashtra |
| 1971 | | Uday Shankar (1900–1977) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 1971 | | Vithal Nagesh Shirodkar (1899–1971) | Medicine | Goa |
| 1971 | | B. Sivaraman | Civil Service | Tamil Nadu |
| 1972 | | P. Balacharya Gajendragadkar (1901–1981) | Civil Service | Maharashtra |
| 1972 | | Aditya Nath Jha# (1911–1972) | Civil Service | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1972 | | Air Chief Marshal Pratap Chandra Lal DFC (1916–1982) | Civil Service | Punjab |
| 1972 | | Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw MC (1914–2008) | Civil Service | Tamil Nadu |
| 1972 | | Jivraj Narayan Mehta (1887–1978) | Public Affairs | Maharashtra |
| 1972 | | Admiral Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda PVSM AVSM (1915–2009) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 1972 | | Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq# (1912–1971) | Public Affairs | Jammu and Kashmir |
| 1972 | | Vikram Sarabhai# (1919–1971) | Science & Engineering | Gujarat |
| 1972 | | Hormasji Maneckji Seervai (1906–1996) | Literature & Education | Maharashtra |
| 1973 | | Basanti Devi (1880–1974) | Civil Service | West Bengal |
| 1973 | | U. N. Dhebar (1905–1977) | Social Work | Gujarat |
| 1973 | | Daulat Singh Kothari (1906–1993) | Science & Engineering | Delhi |
| 1973 | | Nellie Sengupta (1884–1973) | Social Work | West Bengal |
| 1973 | | Nagendra Singh (1914–1988) | Public Affairs | Rajasthan |
| 1973 | | Thirumalraya Swaminathan | Civil Service | Tamil Nadu |
| 1974 | | Niren De | Public Affairs | West Bengal |
| 1974 | | Benode Behari Mukherjee (1904–1980) | Arts | West Bengal |
| 1974 | | V. K. R. V. Rao (1908–1991) | Civil Service | Karnataka |
| 1974 | | Harish Chandra Sarin (1914–1997) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 1975 | | C. D. Deshmukh (1896–1982) | Public Affairs | Maharashtra |
| 1975 | | Durgabai Deshmukh (1909–1981) | Social Work | Andhra Pradesh |
| 1975 | | Mary Clubwala Jadhav (1909–1975) | Social Work | Tamil Nadu |
| 1975 | | Basanti Dulal Nagchaudhuri (1917–2006) | Literature & Education | West Bengal |
| 1975 | | Raja Ramanna (1925–2004) | Science & Engineering | Karnataka |
| 1975 | | Homi Nusserwanji Sethna (1923–2010) | Civil Service | Maharashtra |
| 1975 | | M. S. Subbulakshmi (1916–2004) | Arts | Tamil Nadu |
| 1975 | | Premlila Vithaldas Thackersey (1894–1977) | Literature & Education | Maharashtra |
| 1976 | | Salim Ali (1896–1987) | Science & Engineering | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1976 | | Gurmukh Singh Musafir (1899–1976) | Literature & Education | Punjab |
| 1976 | | K. Shankar Pillai (1899–1976) | Arts | Delhi |
| 1976 | | K. R. Ramanathan (1893–1984) | Science & Engineering | Kerala |
| 1976 | | Satyajit Ray (1921–1992) | Arts | West Bengal |
| 1976 | | Kalu Lal Shrimali (1909–2000) | Literature & Education | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1976 | | Bashir Hussain Zaidi (1898–1992) | Literature & Education | Delhi |
| 1977 | | T. Balasaraswati (1918–1984) | Arts | Tamil Nadu |
| 1977 | | Ali Yavar Jung# (1906–1976) | Public Affairs | Andhra Pradesh |
| 1977 | | Ajudhia Nath Khosla (1892–1984) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 1977 | | Air Chief Marshal Om Prakash Mehra PVSM (1919–2015) | Civil Service | Punjab |
| 1977 | | Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee (1901–1986) | Public Affairs | West Bengal |
| 1977 | | Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh (1901–1994) | Literature & Education | Delhi |
| 1978 | Awards suspended | Awards suspended | Awards suspended | Awards suspended |
| 1979 | Awards suspended | Awards suspended | Awards suspended | Awards suspended |
| 1980 | | Bismillah Khan (1916–2006) | Arts | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1980 | | Rai Krishnadasa | Civil Service | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1981 | | Satish Dhawan (1920–2002) | Science & Engineering | Karnataka |
| 1981 | | Ravi Shankar (1920–2012) | Arts | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1982 | | Mirabehn (1892–1982) | Social Work | United Kingdom |
| 1983 | No awards | No awards | No awards | No awards |
| 1984 | No awards | No awards | No awards | No awards |
| 1985 | | C. N. R. Rao (born 1934) | Science & Engineering | Karnataka |
| 1985 | | M. G. K. Menon (1928–2016) | Civil Service | Kerala |
| 1986 | | Baba Amte (1914–2008) | Social Work | Maharashtra |
| 1986 | | Birju Maharaj (1938–2022) | Arts | Delhi |
| 1986 | | Autar Singh Paintal (1925–2004) | Medicine | Delhi |
| 1987 | | Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay (1903–1988) | Social Work | Karnataka |
| 1987 | | Benjamin Peary Pal (1906–1989) | Science & Technology | Punjab |
| 1987 | | Manmohan Singh (1932–2024) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 1987 | | General Arun Shridhar Vaidya# PVSM AVSM ADC (1926–1986) | Civil Service | Maharashtra |
| 1988 | | Mirza Hameedullah Beg (1913–1988) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 1988 | | Kuvempu (1904–1994) | Literature & Education | Karnataka |
| 1988 | | Mahadevi Varma# (1907–1987) | Literature & Education | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1989 | | Uma Shankar Dikshit (1901–1991) | Public Affairs | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1989 | | Ali Akbar Khan (1922–2009) | Arts | West Bengal |
| 1989 | | M. S. Swaminathan (1925–2023) | Science & Technology | Tamil Nadu |
| 1990 | | V. S. R. Arunachalam (1935–2023) | Literature & Education | Delhi |
| 1990 | | Triloki Nath Chaturvedi (1928–2020) | Civil Service | Karnataka |
| 1990 | | Bhabatosh Datta (1911–1997) | Literature & Education | West Bengal |
| 1990 | | Kumar Gandharva (1924–1992) | Arts | Madhya Pradesh |
| 1990 | | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1931–2015) | Science & Engineering | Tamil Nadu |
| 1991 | | Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer (1908–2003) | Arts | Tamil Nadu |
| 1991 | | M. Balamuralikrishna (1930–2016) | Arts | Tamil Nadu |
| 1991 | | M. F. Husain (1915–2011) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 1991 | | Hirendranath Mukherjee (1907–2004) | Public Affairs | West Bengal |
| 1991 | | Gulzarilal Nanda (1898–1999) | Public Affairs | Gujarat |
| 1991 | | I. G. Patel (1924–2005) | Science & Engineering | Gujarat |
| 1991 | | N. G. Ranga (1900–1995) | Public Affairs | Andhra Pradesh |
| 1991 | | Khusro Faramurz Rustamji | Civil Service | Maharashtra |
| 1991 | | Rajaram Shastri (1904–1991) | Literature & Education | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1992 | | Aruna Asaf Ali (1909–1996) | Social Work | Delhi |
| 1992 | | Lakshman Shastri Joshi (1901–1994) | Literature & Education | Maharashtra |
| 1992 | | Mallikarjun Mansur (1910–1992) | Arts | Karnataka |
| 1992 | | S. I. Padmavati (1917–2020) | Medicine | Delhi |
| 1992 | | Kaloji Narayana Rao (1914–2002) | Arts | Telangana |
| 1992 | | Ravi Narayana Reddy# (1908–1991) | Public Affairs | Andhra Pradesh |
| 1992 | | V. Shantaram# (1901–1990) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 1992 | | Govindbhai Shroff (1911–2002) | Literature & Education | Maharashtra |
| 1992 | | Swaran Singh (1907–1994) | Public Affairs | Punjab |
| 1992 | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924–2018) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 1993 | Awards suspended | Awards suspended | Awards suspended | Awards suspended |
| 1994 | Awards suspended | Awards suspended | Awards suspended | Awards suspended |
| 1995 | Awards suspended | Awards suspended | Awards suspended | Awards suspended |
| 1996 | Awards suspended | Awards suspended | Awards suspended | Awards suspended |
| 1997 | Awards suspended | Awards suspended | Awards suspended | Awards suspended |
| 1998 | | Usha Mehta (1920–2000) | Social Work | Maharashtra |
| 1998 | | Nanabhoy Palkhivala (1920–2002) | Public Affairs | Maharashtra |
| 1998 | | Lakshmi Sahgal (1914–2012) | Public Affairs | Uttar Pradesh |
| 1998 | | Walter Sisulu* (1912–2003) | Public Affairs | South Africa |
| 1999 | | Pandurang Shastri Athavale (1920–2003) | Social Work | Maharashtra |
| 1999 | | Rajagopala Chidambaram (1936–2025) | Science & Engineering | Maharashtra |
| 1999 | | Nanaji Deshmukh (1916–2010) | Social Work | Delhi |
| 1999 | | Sarvepalli Gopal (1923–2002) | Literature & Education | Tamil Nadu |
| 1999 | | Satish Gujral (1925–2000) | Arts | Delhi |
| 1999 | | V. R. Krishna Iyer (1915–2014) | Public Affairs | Kerala |
| 1999 | | Bhimsen Joshi (1922–2011) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 1999 | | Hans Raj Khanna (1912–2008) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 1999 | | Verghese Kurien (1921–2012) | Science & Technology | Gujarat |
| 1999 | | Lata Mangeshkar (1929–2022) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 1999 | | Braj Kumar Nehru (1909–2001) | Civil Service | Himachal Pradesh |
| 1999 | | D. K. Pattammal (1919–2009) | Arts | Tamil Nadu |
| 1999 | | Lallan Prasad Singh# (1912–1998) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 1999 | | Dharma Vira (1906–2000) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 2000 | | Sikander Bakht (1918–2004) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2000 | | Jagdish Bhagwati* (born 1934) | Literature & Education | United States |
| 2000 | | Hariprasad Chaurasia (born 1938) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 2000 | | M. S. Gill (1936–2023) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 2000 | | Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan (born 1940) | Science & Engineering | Karnataka |
| 2000 | | K. B. Lall (1917–2005) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 2000 | | Kelucharan Mohapatra (1926–2004) | Arts | Odisha |
| 2000 | | Jasraj Motiram (1930–2020) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 2000 | | M. Narasimham (1927–2021) | Trade & Industry | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2000 | | R. K. Narayan (1906–2001) | Literature & Education | Tamil Nadu |
| 2000 | | Bhairab Dutt Pande (1917–2009) | Civil Service | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2000 | | K. N. Raj (1924–2010) | Literature & Education | Kerala |
| 2000 | | Tarlok Singh | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 2001 | | John Kenneth Galbraith* (1908–2006) | Literature & Education | United States |
| 2001 | | Benjamin Gilman* (1922–2016) | Public Affairs | United States |
| 2001 | | Amjad Ali Khan (born 1945) | Arts | Delhi |
| 2001 | | Zubin Mehta* (born 1936) | Arts | United States |
| 2001 | | Hrishikesh Mukherjee (1922–2006) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 2001 | | K. Satchidananda Murty (1924–2011) | Literature & Education | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2001 | | Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan (1915–2003) | Civil Service | Tamil Nadu |
| 2001 | | Hosei Norota* (1929–2019) | Public Affairs | Japan |
| 2001 | | C. R. Rao (1920–2023) | Science & Engineering | United States |
| 2001 | | Man Mohan Sharma (born 1937) | Science & Engineering | Maharashtra |
| 2001 | | Shivkumar Sharma (1938–2022) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 2002 | | Kishori Amonkar (1932–2017) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 2002 | | Gangubai Hangal (1913–2009) | Arts | Karnataka |
| 2002 | | Kishan Maharaj (1923–2008) | Arts | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2002 | | C. Rangarajan (born 1932) | Literature & Education | Tamil Nadu |
| 2002 | | Soli Sorabjee (1930–2021) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2003 | | Kazi Lhendup Dorjee (1904–2007) | Public Affairs | West Bengal |
| 2003 | | Sonal Mansingh (born 1944) | Arts | Delhi |
| 2003 | | Bal Ram Nanda (1917–2010) | Literature & Education | Delhi |
| 2003 | | Brihaspati Dev Triguna (1920–2013) | Medicine | Delhi |
| 2004 | | Jayant Narlikar (born 1938) | Science & Engineering | Maharashtra |
| 2004 | | Amrita Pritam (1919–2005) | Literature & Education | Delhi |
| 2004 | | M. N. Venkatachaliah (born 1925) | Public Affairs | Karnataka |
| 2005 | | Milon K. Banerji (1928–2010) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2005 | | Mohan Dharia (1925–2013) | Social Work | Maharashtra |
| 2005 | | Jyotindra Nath Dixit# (1936–2005) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 2005 | | B. K. Goyal (1935–2018) | Medicine | Maharashtra |
| 2005 | | R. K. Laxman (1921–2015) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 2005 | | Ram Narayan (1927–2024) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 2005 | | Karan Singh (born 1931) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2005 | | M. S. Valiathan (1934–2024) | Medicine | Delhi |
| 2006 | | Norman Borlaug* (1914–2009) | Science & Engineering | United States |
| 2006 | | Charles Correa (1930–2015) | Science & Engineering | Maharashtra |
| 2006 | | Nirmala Deshpande (1929–2008) | Social Work | Delhi |
| 2006 | | Mahasweta Devi (1926–2016) | Literature & Education | West Bengal |
| 2006 | | Adoor Gopalakrishnan (born 1941) | Arts | Kerala |
| 2006 | | V. N. Khare (born 1934) | Public Affairs | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2006 | | C. R. Krishnaswamy Rao (1927–2013) | Civil Service | Tamil Nadu |
| 2006 | | Obaid Siddiqi (1932–2013) | Science & Engineering | Karnataka |
| 2006 | | Prakash Narain Tandon (born 1928) | Medicine | Delhi |
| 2007 | | P. N. Bhagwati (1921–2017) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2007 | | Naresh Chandra (1934–2017) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 2007 | | Raja Chelliah (1922–2009) | Public Affairs | Tamil Nadu |
| 2007 | | V. Krishnamurthy (1925–2022) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 2007 | | Fali Sam Nariman (1929–2024) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2007 | | Raja Rao*# (1908–2006) | Literature & Education | United States |
| 2007 | | Balu Sankaran (1926–2012) | Medicine | Delhi |
| 2007 | | Khushwant Singh (1915–2014) | Literature & Education | Delhi |
| 2007 | | E. C. George Sudarshan* (1931–2018) | Science & Engineering | United States |
| 2007 | | Narinder Nath Vohra (born 1936) | Civil Service | Haryana |
| 2008 | | Adarsh Sein Anand (1936–2017) | Public Affairs | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2008 | | Viswanathan Anand (born 1969) | Sports | Tamil Nadu |
| 2008 | | Asha Bhosle (born 1933) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 2008 | | P. N. Dhar (1919–2012) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2008 | | Edmund Hillary*# (1919–2008) | Sports | New Zealand |
| 2008 | | Lakshmi Mittal* (born 1950) | Trade & Industry | United Kingdom |
| 2008 | | Pranab Mukherjee (1935–2020) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2008 | | N. R. Narayana Murthy (born 1946) | Trade & Industry | Karnataka |
| 2008 | | Prithvi Raj Singh Oberoi (1929–2023) | Trade & Industry | Delhi |
| 2008 | | Rajendra K. Pachauri (1940–2020) | Science & Engineering | Delhi |
| 2008 | | E. Sreedharan (born 1932) | Science & Engineering | Delhi |
| 2008 | | Ratan Tata (1937–2024) | Trade & Industry | Maharashtra |
| 2008 | | Sachin Tendulkar (born 1973) | Sports | Maharashtra |
| 2009 | | Sunderlal Bahuguna (1927–2021) | Others | Uttarakhand |
| 2009 | | Jasbir Singh Bajaj (1936–2019) | Medicine | Punjab |
| 2009 | | D. P. Chattopadhyaya (1933–2022) | Literature & Education | West Bengal |
| 2009 | | Ashok Sekhar Ganguly (born 1935) | Trade & Industry | Maharashtra |
| 2009 | | Nirmala Joshi (1934–2015) | Social Work | West Bengal |
| 2009 | | Anil Kakodkar (born 1943) | Science & Engineering | Maharashtra |
| 2009 | | Purshotam Lal (born 1954) | Medicine | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2009 | | G. Madhavan Nair (born 1943) | Science & Engineering | Karnataka |
| 2009 | | Govind Narain (1916–2012) | Public Affairs | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2009 | | Chandrika Prasad Srivastava (1920–2013) | Civil Service | Maharashtra |
| 2010 | | Ebrahim Alkazi (1925–2020) | Arts | Delhi |
| 2010 | | Venkatraman Ramakrishnan* (born 1952) | Science & Technology | United Kingdom |
| 2010 | | Prathap C. Reddy (born 1933) | Trade & Industry | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2010 | | Y. Venugopal Reddy (born 1941) | Public Affairs | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2010 | | Zohra Sehgal (1912–2014) | Arts | Delhi |
| 2010 | | Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman (born 1937) | Arts | Tamil Nadu |
| 2011 | | Montek Singh Ahluwalia (born 1943) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2011 | | Vijay Kelkar (born 1942) | Public Affairs | Maharashtra |
| 2011 | | Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai (1921–2016) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2011 | | O. N. V. Kurup (1931–2016) | Literature & Education | Kerala |
| 2011 | | Sitakant Mahapatra (born 1937) | Literature & Education | Odisha |
| 2011 | | Brajesh Mishra (1928–2012) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 2011 | | K. Parasaran (born 1927) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2011 | | Azim Premji (born 1945) | Trade & Industry | Karnataka |
| 2011 | | Palle Rama Rao (born 1937) | Science & Engineering | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2011 | | Akkineni Nageswara Rao (1923–2014) | Arts | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2011 | | Kapila Vatsyayan (1928–2020) | Arts | Delhi |
| 2011 | | Homai Vyarawalla (1913–2012) | Arts | Gujarat |
| 2012 | | Bhupen Hazarika# (1926–2011) | Arts | Assam |
| 2012 | | Mario Miranda# (1926–2011) | Arts | Goa |
| 2012 | | T. V. Rajeswar (1926–2018) | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 2012 | | Kantilal Hastimal Sancheti (born 1936) | Medicine | Maharashtra |
| 2012 | | K. G. Subramanyan (1924–2016) | Arts | Gujarat |
| 2013 | | Raghunath Mohapatra (1943–2021) | Arts | Odisha |
| 2013 | | Roddam Narasimha (1933–2020) | Science & Technology | Karnataka |
| 2013 | | Yash Pal (1926–2017) | Science & Technology | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2013 | | S. H. Raza (1922–2016) | Arts | Delhi |
| 2014 | | B. K. S. Iyengar (1918–2014) | Others | Maharashtra |
| 2014 | | Raghunath Anant Mashelkar (born 1943) | Science & Engineering | Maharashtra |
| 2015 | | L. K. Advani (born 1927) | Public Affairs | Gujarat |
| 2015 | | Amitabh Bachchan (born 1942) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 2015 | | Parkash Singh Badal (1927–2023) | Public Affairs | Punjab |
| 2015 | | Veerendra Heggade (born 1948) | Social Work | Karnataka |
| 2015 | | Dilip Kumar (1922–2021) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 2015 | | Rambhadracharya (born 1950) | Literature & Education | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2015 | | M. R. Srinivasan (born 1930) | Science & Technology | Tamil Nadu |
| 2015 | | Kottayan Katankot Venugopal (born 1931) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2015 | | Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan* (1936–2025) | Social Work | United Kingdom/ France |
| 2016 | | V. K. Aatre (born 1939) | Science & Engineering | Karnataka |
| 2016 | | Dhirubhai Ambani# (1932–2002) | Trade & Industry | Maharashtra |
| 2016 | | Girija Devi (1929–2017) | Arts | West Bengal |
| 2016 | | Avinash Dixit* (born 1944) | Literature & Education | United States |
| 2016 | | Jagmohan (1927–2021) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2016 | | Yamini Krishnamurthy (1940–2024) | Arts | Delhi |
| 2016 | | Rajinikanth (born 1950) | Arts | Tamil Nadu |
| 2016 | | Ramoji Rao (1936–2024) | Literature & Education | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2016 | | Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (born 1956) | Others | Karnataka |
| 2016 | | V. Shanta (1927–2021) | Medicine | Tamil Nadu |
| 2017 | | Murli Manohar Joshi (born 1934) | Public Affairs | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2017 | | Sunder Lal Patwa# (1924–2016) | Public Affairs | Madhya Pradesh |
| 2017 | | Sharad Pawar (born 1940) | Public Affairs | Maharashtra |
| 2017 | | Udupi Ramachandra Rao (1932–2017) | Science & Engineering | Karnataka |
| 2017 | | P. A. Sangma (1947–2016) | Public Affairs | Meghalaya |
| 2017 | | Jaggi Vasudev (born 1957) | Others | Tamil Nadu |
| 2017 | | K. J. Yesudas (born 1940) | Arts | Kerala |
| 2018 | | Ilaiyaraaja (born 1943) | Arts | Tamil Nadu |
| 2018 | | Ghulam Mustafa Khan (1931–2021) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 2018 | | P. Parameswaran (1927–2020) | Literature & Education | Kerala |
| 2019 | | Teejan Bai (born 1956) | Arts | Chhattisgarh |
| 2019 | | Ismaïl Omar Guelleh* (born 1946) | Public Affairs | Djibouti |
| 2019 | | Anil Manibhai Naik (born 1942) | Trade & Industry | Maharashtra |
| 2019 | | Balwant Moreshwar Purandare (1922–2021) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 2020 | | George Fernandes# (1930–2019) | Public Affairs | Bihar |
| 2020 | | Arun Jaitley# (1952–2019) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2020 | | Anerood Jugnauth* (1930–2021) | Public Affairs | Mauritius |
| 2020 | | M. C. Mary Kom (born 1982) | Sports | Manipur |
| 2020 | | Chhannulal Mishra (born 1936) | Arts | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2020 | | Sushma Swaraj# (1952–2019) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 2020 | | Vishwesha Teertha# (1931–2019) | Others | Karnataka |
| 2021 | | Shinzo Abe* (1954–2022) | Public Affairs | Japan |
| 2021 | | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam# (1946–2020) | Arts | Tamil Nadu |
| 2021 | | Belle Monappa Hegde (born 1938) | Medicine | Karnataka |
| 2021 | | Narinder Singh Kapany*# (1926–2020) | Science & Engineering | United States |
| 2021 | | Wahiduddin Khan (1925–2021) | Others | Delhi |
| 2021 | | B. B. Lal (1921–2022) | Others | Delhi |
| 2021 | | Sudarshan Sahoo (born 1939) | Arts | Odisha |
| 2022 | | Prabha Atre (1932–2024) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 2022 | | Radheshyam Khemka# (1935–2021) | Literature & Education | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2022 | | General Bipin Rawat# PVSM UYSM AVSM YSM SM VSM ADC (1958–2021) | Civil Service | Uttarakhand |
| 2022 | | Kalyan Singh# (1932–2021) | Public Affairs | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2023 | | Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi# (1927–2023) | Others | Gujarat |
| 2023 | | Zakir Hussain (1951–2024) | Arts | Maharashtra |
| 2023 | | S. M. Krishna (1932–2024) | Public Affairs | Karnataka |
| 2023 | | Dilip Mahalanabis# (1934–2022) | Medicine | West Bengal |
| 2023 | | S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan* (born 1940) | Science & Engineering | United States |
| 2023 | | Mulayam Singh Yadav# (1939–2022) | Public Affairs | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2024 | | Vyjayanthimala (born 1933) | Arts | Tamil Nadu |
| 2024 | | Chiranjeevi (born 1955) | Arts | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2024 | | Venkaiah Naidu (born 1949) | Public Affairs | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2024 | | Bindeshwar Pathak# (1943–2023) | Social Work | Bihar |
| 2024 | | Padma Subrahmanyam (born 1943) | Arts | Tamil Nadu |
| 2025 | | D. Nageshwara Reddy (born 1956) | Medicine | Telangana |
| 2025 | | Jagdish Singh Khehar (born 1952) | Public Affairs | Chandigarh |
| 2025 | | Kumudini Lakhia (born 1930) | Arts | Gujarat |
| 2025 | | L. Subramaniam (born 1947) | Arts | Karnataka |
| 2025 | | M. T. Vasudevan Nair# (1933–2024) | Literature & Education | Kerala |
| 2025 | | Osamu Suzuki*# (1930–2024) | Trade & Industry | Japan |
| 2025 | | Sharda Sinha# (1952–2024) | Arts | Bihar |

## Explanatory notes

* ↑ Per Article 18 (1) of the Constitution of India: Abolition of titles, "no title, not being a military or academic distinction, shall be conferred by the State".'"`UNIQ--ref-00000011-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-00000012-QINU`"'
* ↑ 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."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000028-QINU`"'
* ↑ Vilayat Khan refused Padma Shri (1964), Padma Bhushan (1968), and Padma Vibhushan (2000) and stated that "the selection committees were incompetent to judge [his] music".'"`UNIQ--ref-0000002A-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-0000002B-QINU`"'
* ↑ E. M. S. Namboodiripad, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from 1964) 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.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000002D-QINU`"'
* ↑ Swami Ranganathananda declined the award in 2000 as it was conferred to him as an individual and not to the Ramakrishna Mission.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000002F-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-00000030-QINU`"'
* ↑ Lakshmi Chand Jain died on 14 November 2010, at the age of 84.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000032-QINU`"' His family refused to accept the posthumous honour as Jain was against accepting state honours.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000033-QINU`"'
* ↑ Sharad Anantrao Joshi's family refused to accept the posthumous honour as Joshi's work for good of farmers is not reflected in the Government policies for them.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000035-QINU`"'
* ↑ In 1991, Baba Amte returned the award, along with the Padma Shri conferred in 1971, to protest against the treatment given to the tribals during the construction of Sardar Sarovar Dam.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000037-QINU`"'
* ↑ In 2020, Parkash Singh Badal returned the award in solidarity with the farmers protest.

### Posthumous recipients

* ↑ Suranjan Das died on 10 January 1970, at the age of 49.
* ↑ Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq died on 12 December 1971, at the age of 59.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000E9-QINU`"'
* ↑ Vikram Sarabhai died on 30 December 1971, at the age of 52.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000EB-QINU`"'
* ↑ Ali Yavar Jung died on 11 December 1976, at the age of 70.
* ↑ Arun Shridhar Vaidya was assassinated by Sikh extremists on 10 August 1986.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000140-QINU`"'
* ↑ Mahadevi Varma died on 11 September 1987, at the age of 80.
* ↑ Ravi Narayana Reddy died on 9 September 1991, at the age of 83.
* ↑ V. Shantaram died on 30 October 1990, at the age of 88.
* ↑ Lallan Prasad Singh died on 9 November 1998, at the age of 86.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000197-QINU`"'
* ↑ Jyotindra Nath Dixit died on 3 January 2005, at the age of 68.'"`UNIQ--ref-000001D9-QINU`"'
* ↑ Raja Rao died on 8 July 2006, at the age of 97.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000201-QINU`"'
* ↑ Edmund Hillary died on 11 January 2008, at the age of 88.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000211-QINU`"'
* ↑ Bhupen Hazarika died on 5 November 2011, at the age of 85.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000257-QINU`"'
* ↑ Mario Miranda died on 11 December 2011, at the age of 85.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000259-QINU`"'
* ↑ Dhirubhai Ambani died on 6 July 2002, at the age of 69.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000281-QINU`"'
* ↑ Sunder Lal Patwa died on 28 December 2016, at the age of 92.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000293-QINU`"'
* ↑ P. A. Sangma died on 4 March 2016, at the age of 68.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000299-QINU`"'
* ↑ George Fernandes died on 29 January 2019, at the age of 88.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002AB-QINU`"'
* ↑ Arun Jaitley died on 24 August 2019, at the age of 66.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002AD-QINU`"'
* ↑ Sushma Swaraj died on 6 August 2019, at the age of 67.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002B3-QINU`"'
* ↑ Vishwesha Teertha died on 29 December 2019, at the age of 88.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002B5-QINU`"'
* ↑ S. P. Balasubrahmanyam died on 25 September 2020, at the age of 74.
* ↑ Narinder Singh Kapany died on 4 December 2020, at the age of 94.
* ↑ Radheshyam Khemka died on 4 April 2021, at the age of 86.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002C5-QINU`"'
* ↑ General Bipin Rawat died on 8 December 2021, at the age of 63.
* ↑ Kalyan Singh died on 21 August 2021, at the age of 89.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002C8-QINU`"'
* ↑ Balakrishna Doshi died on 24 January 2023, at the age of 95.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002CA-QINU`"'
* ↑ Dilip Mahalanabis died on 16 October 2022, at the age of 87.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002D0-QINU`"'
* ↑ Mulayam Singh Yadav died on 10 October 2022, at the age of 82.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002D2-QINU`"'
* ↑ Bindeshwar Pathak died on 15 August 2023, at the age of 80.
* ↑ M. T. Vasudevan Nair died on 25 December 2024, at the age of 91.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002E5-QINU`"'
* ↑ Osamu Suzuki died on 25 December 2024, at the age of 94.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002E7-QINU`"'
* ↑ Sharda Sinha died on 5 November 2024, at the age of 72.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002E9-QINU`"'