Bombay HC: Bharat Ratna, Padma Awards Not Titles, Can't Be Used as Prefix/Suffix

• Bombay High Court ruled civilian honours like Padma and Bharat Ratna are not official titles.
• Recipients must not use these awards as prefixes or suffixes to their names.
• The ruling came during proceedings involving Dr. Sharad Hardikar, where "Padmashree" was struck from case records.
• Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan cited a 1995 Supreme Court Constitution Bench judgment.
• The court emphasized these awards are national recognition, not changes to legal identity, and Article 141 binds all courts to SC rulings.

Why It Matters: Civilian honours are national recognition, not titles; cannot be used as name prefixes/suffixes.