An award-winning author has described as "strange" the recommendation of a parliamentary standing committee that national award recipients give an undertaking that the prize would not be returned at any point.

Eight years ago, several authors and artistes had embarrassed the Narendra Modi government by returning awards to protest the murders of rationalists and minorities.

In its report on the “Functioning of National Akademis and Other Cultural Institutions”, tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture has recommended a signed commitment from potential awardees.

The committee headed by YSRCP parliamentarian V. Vijayasai Reddy said in para 95: “The Committee emphasises that Sahitya Akademi or other Akademis are apolitical organisations. There is no place for politics. The Committee, therefore, suggests that whenever an award is given, the consent of the recipient must be taken, so that he/ she does not return it because of political reasons; as it is disgraceful tothe country. The Committee recommends prior concurrence of short-listed candidates for awards before finalisation.

“A system may be put in place where an undertaking is taken from the proposed awardee citing acceptance of the award and that the awardees cannot dishonour the award at any point of time in future. Awards may not be given without such an undertaking. In the event that the awards are returned, the awardee shall not be considered for such award... in the future.”

The committee’s views came in response to information from the culture ministry that 39 people had returned their awards in 2015. The report says: “There havebeen no instances of awards returning after 2015. However, organisations are advised to take proper precautionary checks before announcing awards.

“Sahitya Akademi, further, informed that the reason for returning the awards by 39 persons, was a political reason — Mr Kalburgi, an eminent writer from Karnataka, was killed.”

Shashi Deshpande, an award-winning novelistwho quit the Sahitya Akademi in protest against its silenceon the assassination of its awardee, Kannada epigraphist and rationalist M.M. Kalburgi, in 2015 — toldThe Telegraph on Tuesday that “awards are given forour books, not our behaviour”.

The Bangalore-based Deshpande said: “How can anyone give in writing that they will not return an award later? Who knows how they will feel later in life about an award they get? This recommendation is strange…. Writers have the right to express their opinions on political matters. It can’t be taken away.”

In 2015, Uday Prakash, Nayantara Sehgal and Ashok Vajpeyi were among the authors who renounced their Sahitya Akademi awards. They did so in protest against the murders of rationalists Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar allegedly by Hindutva fanatics, as well as the lynching of Mohammad Akhlaqin Uttar Pradesh over false rumours of storing beef. Punjabi author Dalip Kaur Tiwana renounced her Padma Shri that year.

Others such as Deshpande and Malayalam authors K. Satchidanandan, P.K. Parakkadavu and K.S. Ravikumar quit the Akademi.

Deshpande did not return her Padma Shri or her Sahitya Akademi award — which she considers an honour bestowed by literary peers. However, she quit the general council of the Akademi and other posts she held, saying: “Silence is a form of abetment, and the Sahitya Akademi, which should speak for the large community of Indian writers, must stand up and protest the murder of Professor Kalburgi and all such acts of violent intolerance. In view of the Akademi’s failure to stand up for its community of writers and scholars, I am, out of a sense of strong disappointment, offering my resignation.”