Padma Vibhushan 2026: the five honoured for a lifetime of service

The Padma Vibhushan 2026, the second highest civilian honour in the country after the Bharat Ratna, has been conferred on five individuals whose work has spanned cinema, the judiciary, classical music, education and public life. Reserved for exceptional and distinguished service, it is the rarest of the three Padma tiers, and this year's list mixes household names with figures revered within their own fields. Two of the five have been honoured posthumously.