The Seychelles government said on Thursday it was reviewing how the “pre-final action planning” of a citation granting a presidential citation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was published, including typos and spelling errors.
The honour, which the Seychelles government described as the highest presidential award for the Indian Ocean archipelago, was launched on June 24, three days before Modi visited the country to participate as guest of honor in celebrations marking the Golden Jubilee of National Day.
The misspelling of the words “Republic” and “Seychelles” in the stamp affixed to a copy of the citation issued by the BJP was widely discussed on social media, even raising questions about the authenticity of the document.
The Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to the photo of the presidential citation for the “Guardian of the Blue Horizon” medal that has been widely circulated on social media and the press since the award ceremony on June 28, and said the honor was real.
“It was duly instituted by the Cabinet on 24 June 2026 and awarded by President Patrick Herminie to His Excellency Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, during the National Golden Jubilee Day celebrations,” the ministry said in a statement.
The honour, title and recognition of Modi’s contributions are “not in doubt”.
“The specific image of the citation document now circulating online was a pre-final working layout, created in part using digital design tools while the citation was being prepared within a compressed timeline, and was never approved as a final version. It contains typographical and spelling errors, including on the seal, which the ministry acknowledges and regrets,” the statement said.
The department also admitted that the pre-final work planning did not bear Herminie’s actual signature and had a “placeholder used in the draft planning process”.
“This draft was not intended for public release and should not be circulated; the ministry is reviewing how this happened,” the statement read.
.
