Railway
The abolition of titles, except military and academic distinctions, and the prohibition on citizens from accepting titles from any foreign state are provided under:
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Answer: Option D — Article 18
Detailed Solution
Article 18 abolishes titles and lays down certain restrictions on accepting titles.
Provisions of Article 18:
- Clause (1): No title, not being a military or academic distinction, shall be conferred by the State.
- Clause (2): No citizen of India shall accept any title from any foreign state.
- Clause (3): No person who is not a citizen of India shall, while holding any office of profit or trust under the State, accept any title from any foreign state without the consent of the President.
Why titles were abolished:
- During British rule, the government gave titles such as "Rai Bahadur", "Khan Bahadur", "Sir" and "Raja" to people who were loyal to it.
- These titles created a privileged class and were against the ideal of equality.
- The Constitution abolished such hereditary and honorific titles in order to promote equality among citizens.
- Many freedom fighters, such as Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi, had given up their British titles and honours during the national movement.
National awards:
- The Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards (Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri) were started in 1954.
- Their validity was challenged on the ground that they were titles prohibited by Article 18.
- In the Balaji Raghavan case (1996), the Supreme Court held that these national awards are not titles within the meaning of Article 18, because they are not used as a prefix or suffix to the name.
- The Court said that the recipients should not use them as prefixes or suffixes to their names; otherwise, they would forfeit the award.
Military and academic distinctions:
Military distinctions, such as the Param Vir Chakra, and academic distinctions, such as "Doctor" (for a PhD) or "Professor", are allowed.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Article 16 deals with equality of opportunity in public employment; Article 19 with the six freedoms; Article 21 with the protection of life and personal liberty.
Quick tip
Remember: Article 18 = abolition of titles (except military and academic distinctions); Bharat Ratna and Padma awards are not titles (Balaji Raghavan case, 1996).
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This question tests your understanding of Fundamental Rights, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
Fundamental Rights are listed in Part III of the Constitution (Articles 12-35). This topic covers the six Fundamental Rights (equality, freedom, against exploitation, freedom of religion, cultural and educational rights, and constitutional remedies), the five writs, and the landmark cases that shaped these rights. Questions usually ask which article guarantees a right (Article 21 for life and personal liberty, Article 17 for abolition of untouchability), which writ serves which purpose, and why the right to property is no longer a Fundamental Right (it was removed by the 44th Amendment in 1978). B. R. Ambedkar called Article 32 the 'heart and soul' of the Constitution. Practise the Fundamental Rights questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.