President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday conferred 105 Distinguished Service Decorations on personnel of the Armed Forces and the Indian Coast Guard during the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026 (Phase-II) held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, recognising exceptional leadership, operational excellence and distinguished service to the nation.
The ceremony was attended by the Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with senior military officials and dignitaries.
The honours included 7 Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medals (SYSM), 30 Param Vishisht Seva Medals (PVSM), 12 Uttam Yudh Seva Medals (UYSM) and 56 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals (AVSM). The awards are presented for distinguished service of an exceptional order in both operational and peacetime roles.
Among the recipients of the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal, the nation’s highest distinguished wartime service decoration, were Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma, Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh (Retd.), Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari (Retd.) and Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra (Retd.).
Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, of the Kumaon Regiment and currently serving at the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Army), was honoured for his distinguished operational leadership. Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, a decorated fighter pilot, was also recognised for his exceptional service.
The Param Vishisht Seva Medal, awarded for the most exceptional distinguished service, was conferred on 30 officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Prominent recipients included Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, the Chief of the Naval Staff; Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit; Air Marshal Tejinder Singh; Air Marshal Seethepalli Shrinivas; Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh; Lieutenant General Viresh Pratap Singh Kaushik; Lieutenant General Michael Anthony Jude Fernandez; Lieutenant General Navneet Singh Sarna; Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin; and Vice Admiral Atul Anand. Several retired senior officers were also honoured with the decoration.
The Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, recognising distinguished service during military operations, was awarded to 12 officers, including Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, Air Marshal Manish Khanna, Lieutenant General Prashant Srivastava, Lieutenant General Rajan Sharawat, Lieutenant General Abhijit S. Pendharkar, Lieutenant General Gambhir Singh, Lieutenant General Prasanna Kishore Mishra, Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, Air Marshal Praveen Keshav Vohra, Air Commodore Ajay Kumar Chaudhary, Air Commodore Prabhat Malik, and Group Captain Kamran Nazeer.
The Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, awarded for distinguished service of an exceptional order, was conferred on 56 personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Indian Coast Guard.
Among the recipients were Air Marshal Tarun Chaudhry, Lieutenant General Neeraj Varshney, Lieutenant General Vikas Rohella, Lieutenant General Harbinder Singh Vandra, Lieutenant General Mohinder Pal Singh, Lieutenant General Ranjeet Singh, Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar, Lieutenant General Shamsher Singh Virk, Vice Admirals Anand Y. Sardesai, Rajat Kapoor, Srinivas Kudaravalli, Susheel Menon and Anil Jaggi, Surgeon Vice Admiral Vivek Hande, Air Marshal Mehtab Singh Deswal, Air Marshal K.A.A. Sanjeeb, Air Marshal S. Srinivasa Rao, Indian Coast Guard Additional Director General Donny Michael, Surgeon Vice Admiral Kavita Sahai (Retd.), several Major Generals and Air Vice Marshals, as well as Subedar H. Hokato Sema of 9 Assam, among others.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the Distinguished Service Decorations recognise exceptional devotion to duty, outstanding leadership and distinguished service rendered by personnel of the Armed Forces and the Indian Coast Guard in safeguarding the nation’s security and strengthening its defence capabilities.
