President Murmu confers Padma Awards on 66 luminaries; Hema Malini receives Dharmendra’s posthumous Padma Vibhushan

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday conferred Padma Awards on 66 distinguished personalities at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Among the top honours, the President conferred India’s second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, posthumously on legendary Indian cinema icon and former Member of Parliament Dharmendra Singh Deol, as well as on renowned violinist Dr. N. Rajam.

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Dharmendra was honoured for his exceptional and distinguished contribution to the field of arts. The veteran actor passed away at the age of 89 on November 24, 2025.

Veteran actress and politician Hema Malini received the Padma Vibhushan on behalf of her late husband from President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The moment turned emotional for the actress, who managed to hold back tears during the solemn ceremony conducted under strict protocol.

President Murmu presented the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awards for the year 2026 during the ceremony. The Padma Awards are among the country’s highest civilian honours.

Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.

Former Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and noted banker Uday Kotak were conferred with the Padma Bhushan. Advertising legend late Piyush Pandey was also awarded the Padma Bhushan posthumously, which was received by his wife, Neeta Joshi.

At the ceremony, Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur received the Padma Shri following a landmark year for Indian women’s cricket. In 2025, she led India to its maiden ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup title on home soil with a historic victory over South Africa in the final at Navi Mumbai.

Veteran Bengali cinema actor Prosenjit Chatterjee was also honoured with the Padma Shri.

Earlier this year, the Union Government announced a total of 131 Padma Awards, including five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri honours.

During Monday’s Civil Investiture Ceremony-I, President Murmu conferred 66 awards, including two Padma Vibhushan, six Padma Bhushan, and 58 Padma Shri awards. The remaining awards will be presented during Civil Investiture Ceremony-II at a later date.