Consider the following statements in respect of Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards: 1. Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are titles under the Article 18(1) of the Constitution of India. 2. Padma Awards, which were instituted in the year 1954, were suspended only once. 3. The number of Bharat Ratna Awards is restricted to a maximum of five in a particular year. Which of the above statements are not correct?
A1 and 2 only
B2 and 3 only
C1 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: D. ALL THREE statements are NOT correct (i.e., all three are FALSE).
Statement 1 is INCORRECT (i.e., wrong). Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are NOT 'TITLES' under Article 18(1). ARTICLE 18(1) reads: 'No title, not being a military or academic distinction, shall be conferred by the State.' The Supreme Court in BALAJI RAGHAVAN vs UNION OF INDIA (1995) explicitly held that the BHARAT RATNA, PADMA VIBHUSHAN, PADMA BHUSHAN AND PADMA SHRI are NATIONAL AWARDS — NOT 'titles' within the meaning of Article 18(1). Recipients are not allowed to use the award names as PREFIXES OR SUFFIXES to their names (so cannot write 'Padma Shri Smt. X' as a title). Hence the awards are NOT titles under Article 18(1).
Statement 2 is INCORRECT. Padma Awards were INSTITUTED in 1954 — that part is right. But they have been SUSPENDED TWICE, NOT 'only once':
- FIRST SUSPENSION: 1977-1980 (Morarji Desai government, after Emergency).
- SECOND SUSPENSION: 1992-1995 (during P.V. Narasimha Rao government, after court challenges on the constitutional validity; restored after the 1995 Balaji Raghavan judgment).
So the 'only once' claim is wrong.
Statement 3 is INCORRECT. The number of Bharat Ratna Awards is restricted to a MAXIMUM of THREE in a particular year (NOT FIVE). The relevant rule (Statutes of the Bharat Ratna 1954) caps annual awards at 3. Many years no Bharat Ratna is conferred. The five-per-year is wrong.
So all three statements are factually incorrect. The question asks 'which are NOT correct' — answer D (1, 2 and 3 — all not correct).
Source: Ministry of Home Affairs / Padma Awards Portal / Balaji Raghavan vs Union of India (1996) 1 SCC 361 / Bharat Ratna Statute.
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