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?

1. Statement 1 is not correct. Article 18(1) of the Constitution of India prohibits the State from conferring titles (except military or academic distinctions). The Supreme Court, in Balaji Raghavan vs Union of India (1995), held that National Awards like Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are 'awards' and not 'titles' within the meaning of Article 18(1). 2. Statement 2 is not correct. The Padma Awards were indeed instituted in the year 1954. However, they were suspended more than once – notably from July 1977 to January 1980 and again from August 1992 to December 1995. 3. Statement 3 is not correct. While there is a convention to generally limit the number of Bharat Ratna Awards awarded in a particular year (usually to a maximum of three), there is no formal rule restricting it to a maximum of five. Since all three statements are not correct, the correct option is (D).