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?
A
1 and 2 only
B
2 and 3 only
C
1 and 3 only
D
1, 2 and 3
Correct answer
Explanation
None of the three statements is correct, so the answer is all three. In Balaji Raghavan v. Union of India (1995) the Supreme Court held that the Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards are not 'titles' within the meaning of Article 18(1), though they must not be used as prefixes or suffixes to a name. The Padma awards, instituted in 1954, have been suspended twice, from 1977 to 1980 and from 1992 to 1995, not once. The Bharat Ratna is limited to at most three recipients in a year, not five.
Indian Polity / AwardsNational Awards (Bharat Ratna, Padma Awards)Bharat RatnaPadma AwardsArticle 18(1)TitlesSuspended1954Maximum five awards