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 is/are not correct?
a. 1 and 2 Only
b. 2 and 3 Only
c. 1 and 3 Only
d. 1, 2 and 3
Answer- d
Explanation:
In Balaji Raghavan vs UOI, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of civilian honours but criticised the government for not exercising restraint in awarding these. It held that the national awards were not meant to be used as titles, and those who have done so should forfeit the award. The award does not amount to a title and cannot be used as a suffix or prefix to the awardees’ name.
Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
Padma Awards, which were instituted in the year 1954, is announced every year on the occasion of Republic Day except for brief interruption during the years 1978 and 1979 and 1993 to 1997.
Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
The Government of India instituted two civilian awards-Bharat Ratna & Padma Vibhushan in 1954.
Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of the country. It is awarded in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour. It is treated on a different footing from the Padma Award. The recommendations for Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister. No formal recommendations for Bharat Ratna are necessary. The number of Bharat Ratna Awards is restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year.
Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.
Additional Information:
The Padma Awards had three classes, namely Pahela Varg, Dusra Varg and Tisra Varg. These were subsequently renamed as Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
The award is normally not conferred posthumously. However, in highly deserving cases, the Government could consider giving an award posthumously.
A higher category of Padma award can be conferred on a person only where a period of at least five years has elapsed since the conferment of the earlier Padma award. However, in highly deserving cases, the Awards Committee can make a relaxation.
The total number of awards to be given in a year (excluding posthumous awards and to NRI/foreigners/OCIs) should not be more than 120.
Who decides the recipients?
All nominations received for the Padma Awards are placed before the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted by the Prime Minister every year. The Padma Awards Committee is headed by the Cabinet Secretary and includes the Home Secretary, Secretary to the President, and four to six eminent persons as members. The recommendations of the committee are submitted to the Prime Minister and the President of India for approval.
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