NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a PIL seeking conferment of Bharat Ratna on Mahatma Gandhi and said the 'Father of the Nation' was much above the highest civilian award of the country .A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant said: "What is Bharat Ratna for Mahatma Gandhi? People hold him in much higher esteem than Bharat Ratna. We agree with you he should be honoured but he is much higher than Bharat Ratna."The bench asked the PIL petitioner whether there was anything higher than Bharat Ratna that could be conferred on Gandhi. The petitioner said it was for the government to decide. The bench said: "It is difficult to judicially decide who should get Bharat Ratna. It will be better if you make a representation to the government on this issue."So far, 48 eminent persons have been conferred with Bharat Ratna, 16 of them posthumously.