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 option is 1, 2 and 3 (all three statements are incorrect).

Let us analyze each statement step-by-step to understand why all of them are incorrect:

Statement 1: "Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are titles under the Article 18(1) of the Constitution of India."
Analysis: In 1996, the Supreme Court of India upheld the constitutional validity of National Awards such as the Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards. The Court clarified that these awards are decorations and honorifics, not "titles" within the meaning of Article 18(1) of the Constitution. Therefore, recipients cannot use them as prefixes or suffixes to their names. Thus, Statement 1 is incorrect.

Statement 2: "Padma Awards, which were instituted in the year 1954, were suspended only once."
Analysis: The Padma Awards were instituted in 1954. However, their presentation was suspended more than once: first during the years 1978 and 1979 (under the Janata Party government), and again between 1993 and 1997 due to legal challenges regarding their validity. Since they were suspended twice, Statement 2 is incorrect.

Statement 3: "The number of Bharat Ratna Awards is restricted to a maximum of five in a particular year."
Analysis: According to the rules governing the Bharat Ratna, the number of annual awards is restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year, not five. Thus, Statement 3 is incorrect.

Since the question asks which of the statements are not correct, all three statements (1, 2 and 3) are incorrect.