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? ​

The correct answer is D, because all three statements are incorrect.

• Statement 1 is wrong. Article 18(1) bars the State from conferring titles, except military and academic distinctions. In Balaji v. Union of India (1994), the Supreme Court held that Bharat Ratna and Padma awards are not titles, since they are not meant to be used as prefixes or suffixes in a person's name. They are national honours.
• Statement 2 is wrong. The Padma awards, instituted in 1954, were discontinued in 1977 and revived in 1980. The interruption shows they have not run continuously, and the 'suspended only once' claim does not hold on the record used for this question.
• Statement 3 is wrong. The cap on Bharat Ratna is three per year, not five. This ceiling was fixed by a 2011 government rule, and it remains the position today.

The core concept is the constitutional status of national awards under Articles 18(1) and 18(2). It is a standard Polity topic, and the Balaji case is relevant to Mains debates on the awards' constitutionality.

Trap: Aspirants often accept the 'titles' wording in Statement 1 because the awards carry prestige and are named like titles. The legal position is what matters, and the Supreme Court's reading settles it.