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Q56 (IAS/2021) Polity & Governance › Fundamental Rights, DPSP & Fundamental Duties › National honours Official Key

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?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 4 (1, 2 and 3) because all three statements are factually incorrect based on constitutional provisions and historical precedents.

  • Statement 1 is incorrect: In the Balaji Raghavan case (1996), the Supreme Court ruled that Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are "National Honours" and do not amount to "titles" under Article 18(1). Therefore, they cannot be used as prefixes or suffixes to the name of the recipient.
  • Statement 2 is incorrect: These awards have been suspended more than once. They were suspended from 1977 to 1980 (during the Morarji Desai administration) and again from 1992 to 1995 due to litigation regarding their constitutional validity.
  • Statement 3 is incorrect: According to the official guidelines, the number of Bharat Ratna awards is restricted to a maximum of three in any particular year, not five (though exceptions have occurred via political decisions in 2024, the standing rule remains three).

Since the question asks for statements that are not correct, Option 4 is the right choice as it encompasses all three inaccuracies.

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Q. Consider the following statements in respect of Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards: 1. Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are titles under the Art…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Moderate fairness Books / CA: 6.7/10 · 3.3/10
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This is a 'Reading Comprehension Check' on standard Polity texts (Laxmikanth). It proves that skimming headings is fatal; you must read the fine print about 'suspensions' and 'numerical caps' in the commentary. It is a fair question because the Balaji Raghavan case is a landmark judgment covered in every serious preparation.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Are the Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards considered "titles" prohibited by Article 18(1) of the Constitution of India?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 8: Fundamental Rights > El l Abolition of Titles > p. 85
Presence: 5/5
“In the Bajaji Raghavan case (1995), the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the National Awards - Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Sri. It ruled that these awards do not amount to 'titles' within the meaning of Article 18 that prohibits only hereditary titles of nobility. Therefore, they are not violative of Article 18 as the theory of equality does not mandate that merit should not be recognized. These National Awards were instituted in 1954. The Janata Party government headed by Morarji Desai discontinued them in 1977. But they were again revived in 1980 by the Indira Gandhi government.”
Why this source?
  • Supreme Court in Bajaji Raghavan (1995) upheld the constitutional validity of Bharat Ratna and Padma awards.
  • Court ruled these awards do not amount to 'titles' within Article 18, which prohibits hereditary titles of nobility.
  • Affirms that recognising merit by State awards is not inconsistent with Article 18's equality principle.
Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 8: FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES > Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties IJl > p. 117
Presence: 5/5
“In this context, it is to be noted that Article 18( 1 ) itself makes an exception in favour of granting by the State of any military or academic distinction. . The matter was taken to court, and the Supreme Court has now held that. non-military awards by way of recognition of merit of extraordinary work (eg, the Padma awards) are not titles of nobility and hence, do not violate Article 14 or 18, provided they are not used as titles or prefixes or suffixes to the name of the awardee. Apart from the rights flowing from the above prohibition, certain positive rights are conferred by the Constitution in order to promote the ideal of liberty.”
Why this source?
  • Notes Article 18(1) exception for military or academic distinctions and the judicial finding on non-military awards.
  • Specifically states non-military merit awards (e.g., Padma awards) are not titles of nobility, subject to non-use as name prefixes/suffixes.
  • Clarifies the conditional nature: awards are permissible provided they are not used as titles.
Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 8: FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES > Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties IJl > p. 116
Presence: 4/5
“Thus, the award of Bharat Ratna or Padma Vibh ushan cannot be used by the recipient as a title and does not, accordingly, come within the constitutional prohibition. In 1954, the Government of India introduced decorations. (in the form of medals) of four categories, namely, Bharat R atna., Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.”
Why this source?
  • Explains that recipients cannot use Bharat Ratna or Padma as a title and thus such awards do not fall under the constitutional prohibition.
  • Provides contextual background on the introduction of these decorations (Bharat Ratna and Padma categories).
Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

CDS-I · 2024 · Q6 Relevance score: 4.52

Which of the following statements with regard to Bharat Ratna Award is/are correct? 1. It was instituted in the year 1972. 2. The award does not carry any monetary grant. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

CDS-II · 2009 · Q72 Relevance score: 4.46

Which one of the following statements regarding Bharat Ratna award is not correct?

CDS-I · 2007 · Q83 Relevance score: 3.94

Consider the following statements: 1. John Kenneth Galbraith served as U S Ambassador to India. 2. John Kenneth Galbraith was awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his contributions to strengtheningties between India and the United States. Which of the statements given above is/ are correct ?

CDS-II · 2006 · Q32 Relevance score: 3.49

Who among the following have been honoured with ‘Bharat Ratna’ ? 1. Morarji Desai 2. Gulzari Lal Nanda 3. C. Subramaniam 4. Ustad Bismillah Khan Select the correct answer using the codes given below

CDS-II · 2025 · Q15 Relevance score: 3.18

Which of the following statements is/are correct ? 1. C. Rajagopalachari was the first recipient of the Bharat Ratna. 2. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya initiated the concept of 'Integral Humanism'. Select the answer using the code given below :