RAS question
Article 18 of the Indian Constitution deals with:
Correct answer: (A) Abolition of Titles.
Article 18 of the Indian Constitution deals with the abolition of titles, barring the State from conferring titles except military or academic distinctions and restricting acceptance of foreign titles.
Explanation
Article 18 is expressly headed "Abolition of titles" in the official Constitution text. Its core rule is simple: the State cannot confer a title, unless it is a military or academic distinction. The article also closes the foreign-title route. A citizen of India cannot accept any title from a foreign State, and a non-citizen who holds an office of profit or trust under the State needs the President's consent before accepting a foreign title. So the provision is not about a general liberty or welfare claim; it is a constitutional bar on titles conferred or accepted in the situations listed.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Right to Freedom of Religion is wrong because the official Article 18 text deals with abolition of titles, not religious profession, practice, or propagation.
- (C) Right to Education is wrong because Article 18 contains no education guarantee; it only bars conferment and acceptance of titles in the situations listed.
- (D) Abolition of Untouchability is wrong because the official text assigns that subject to the immediately preceding Article 17, while Article 18 is abolition of titles.
Concept
This tests direct mapping of Fundamental Rights articles within the Right to Equality part. It recurs in RAS because polity questions often separate near-neighbour provisions with similar abolition wording.