Q. In the context of Article 18, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. The hereditary titles of nobility conferred by colonial State are prohibited by Article 18.
2. The Supreme Court upheld that Padma Awards can be used as suffixes or prefixes to the names of awardees.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Exp) Option a is the correct answer.
Article 18 of Constitution of India abolishes titles and prohibits the government from bestowing any title on any citizen or foreigner (except military or academic distinction)
Statement 1 is correct: The hereditary titles of nobility conferred by colonial States, such as Maharaja, Raj Bahadur, Rai Bahadur, Rai Saheb, Dewan Bahadur, and so on, are prohibited by Article 18 because they violate the principle of equal status for all.
Statement 2 is incorrect. In 1996, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the National awards. The Supreme Court said that National 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. However, they should not be used as suffixes or prefixes to the name of the awardees
