Confusion prevailed on Thursday (December 18, 2025) when the Sahitya Akademi was forced to cancel a press conference called by it to announce its annual literary awards following a directive from the Union Ministry of Culture.
The press conference was scheduled to be held at 3 p.m. in Delhi after a meeting of the Executive Board of the literary body, which cleared the awardees. But minutes before it began, it was announced that the press meet had been cancelled and the awards process put on hold.
The Culture Ministry had sent a note to the Akademi, reminding it of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with all four autonomous institutions under it, namely, the National School of Drama, the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the Lalit Kala Akademi, and the Sahitya Akademi, that an exercise of restructuring of awards needed to be taken in consultation with the Ministry.
The MoU was signed in July.
“This is to invite your attention to the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Akademies and the Ministry for the year 2025-26, wherein it has been stipulated that the exercise of restructuring of awards is required to be undertaken in consultation with the Ministry. In this regard, you are requested to inform this Ministry of the measures taken so far,” the note, a copy of which is with The Hindu, said.
The Ministry of Culture further directed that “till such time the restructuring process is duly approved by the Ministry, no process for declaration of awards shall be undertaken without the prior approval of the Ministry”. The note was sent to all four autonomous culture bodies on Thursday (December 18, 2025).
The note was necessitated as the press conference had been called without the Ministry’s knowledge, and without the approval of the due process for the selection of awardees, sources in the Ministry of Culture told The Hindu.
The MoUs for restructuring had been signed in line with the restructuring of awards across the board being undertaken under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the sources said.
Sahitya Akademi gives awards each year to books in 24 languages.
A member of the Executive Board said that the awards for this year had been unanimously approved by all members of the Board at a meeting prior to the scheduled press conference.
An official of the level of Director in the Ministry of Culture has been officiating as the Member Secretary of the Sahitya Akademi since the superannuation of a previous Member Secretary in October.
Published – December 18, 2025 09:42 pm IST
