Amid award for Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran, a look at the British honours system

The evolution of the British honours system

In his 1994 article ‘The English Honours System in Princely India (1925-1947)’, academic John McLeod examines the ‘network of honours’ the British Empire bestowed upon Indian rulers and argues that these were introduced, in part, to foster loyalty among native rulers to the British Raj.

In 1861, Viceroy Lord Canning established the Order of India, which granted knighthoods to prominent Indians and Britons who had served in India, says McLeod. Subsequently, after Queen Victoria assumed the title of Empress of India in 1877, two additional Indian Orders were created: the Order of the Indian Empire (a less prestigious version of the Order of India) and the Order of the Crown of India (an honour primarily for women).

Indian rulers were also often appointed to two other Orders available throughout the British Empire: the Royal Victorian Order (established in 1896 for personal service to the Crown) and the Order of the British Empire (established in 1917).

These Orders followed a clear hierarchy. Except for the Order of the Crown of India, each Order had multiple categories of membership, including, Knight Grand Commander or Grand Cross (GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, GBE), Knight Commander (KCSI, KCIE, KCVO, KBE) etc, McLeod notes.

The British divided the Indian states into agencies, of which there were 15 by 1947. The process of awarding honours to rulers began at the agency level, where every February and August or September, the Resident would prepare a list of deserving candidates. This list was then sent to the Political Department in Delhi, where it would be revised, removing some names and adding others. The final decisions were made by the Viceroy, the Secretary of State (the British Cabinet Minister responsible for India), and the King. The new honours were typically announced on the King’s birthday in June and on New Year’s Day, a practice that has continued to date.

At each stage, the number of recommendations was reduced as the British sought to keep honours rare and desirable. Only the strongest recommendations typically succeeded, says McLeod. Between 1925 and 1947, for example, the Resident of the Western India States Agency nominated 73 rulers for knighthoods or companionhoods, but only 33 were approved, and just 20 ultimately received awards, he points out.

Occasionally, misdeeds led to the withholding of expected honours. For instance, in 1928, the Political Department approved a knighthood for Maharaja Rana Saheb of Porbandar (in Gujarat), but after he was discourteous to the Viceroy, the award was postponed for a year. Once the penalty had been served, the honour was granted, says McLeod.

The English honours were typically awarded to men, with only two Indian princesses receiving them between 1925 and 1947. In 1933, McLeod observes, the Resident of the Western India States Agency recommended an honour for the Begum of Manavadar ( in Junagadh, Gujarat), “who was an excellent manager of her state after her husband’s death”, notes McLeod. Despite initial approval by the political department, higher officials, however, overruled the recommendation, McLeod adds.

Nonetheless, between the 1920s and 1940s, several native rulers, including those from Jodhpur, Bikaner, Bharatpur, Jammu and Kashmir, Mysore, Patiala, and the Maharani of Gwalior, were among the notable recipients of these honours.

A rigorous nomination process

Most British honours are part of the Order of the British Empire. UK nationals and citizens of 15 Commonwealth ‘realms’ where the British monarch is the head of state are eligible for these honours. Additionally, individuals living or working overseas who have made a substantial impact internationally can also be nominated. Non-British or Commonwealth country citizens may be considered for honorary awards.

The nomination process is rigorous, taking approximately 12 to 18 months. Submissions are assessed by the Cabinet Office’s Honours and Appointments Secretariat, which oversees the system. The suitability of nominees is determined through a stringent process, including checks for merit, probity, and propriety.

Various government departments, regulatory bodies, professional organisations, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Acro Criminal Records Office may be involved in this assessment to uphold the integrity of the system.

Structure of the Order of the British Empire

The honours are ranked in the following order of precedence: GBE (Knight or Dame Grand Cross), regarded by the UK Government Cabinet Office as “the highest class in many of the Orders.” The late Ratan Tata is the only Indian to have been awarded the GBE in 2014 since India became a republic in 1950.

Next comes the KBE or DBE (Knight or Dame Commander). Indian business magnate Sunil Bharti Mittal was granted an honorary knighthood by King Charles III. Other Indian recipients of the honorary KBE include Tata (2009), the late sitar player Pandit Ravi Shankar (2001), and the late Tata Steel veteran Jamshed Irani (1997), all of whom were honoured by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

This is followed by the CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), awarded for significant contributions at a national or regional level, or for innovative achievements in any field. Next is the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire), which recognises substantial local contributions with national significance. The MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) is awarded for outstanding service to the community with long-term impact.

These awards, published in The Gazette, the official newspaper of the Crown, stand testament to the remarkable contributions made by individuals across a variety of sectors.