22 February 2024

Daily practice questions for CLAT - (22 February 2024)



The Rajasthan High Court, Jaipur Bench, has held that the use of salutations and titles such as "Raja", "Nawab" and "Rajkumar" in constitutional courts, all other Courts, tribunals, public offices of the State, etc. is prohibited in terms of Articles 14, 18 and 363A of the Constitution of India. The court ordered that the said restriction will also apply in the public domain as well as public documents & public offices. Justice Sameer Jain, ruled, "In the light of above, this Court holds that in Constitutional Courts, all other Courts, Tribunals, public offices of the State, etc., the use of salutation and titles is prohibited in terms of Articles 14 18 and 363A of the Constitution of India. The said restriction will also apply in the public domain as well as public documents & public offices." The Court took up the issue on noticing that a respondent in the cause-title of a petition was addressed as "Raja Laxman Singh". The Court pursued Article 14, 18, and 363A of the Constitution of India and observed that any title awarded to the citizen of India by a Foreign State cannot be accepted nor used and no such title, other than the military or academic distinctions, can be conferred other than by the State. The Court also observed that in terms of Article 363A, the hereditary titles of nobility being in conflict with the principles of equality and contrary to Article 14 cannot be used as prefixes or suffixes. In this regard, the court also relied on the cases of Raghunathrao Ganpatrao v. Union of India: 1994 [(Suppl.) 1 SCC 191] and Balaji Raghavan vs. Union of India [AIR 1996 SC 770]

Question1:- B, a law student of XNLU, challenges the National awards being used as titles, contrary to Articles 14 and 18 of the Constitution of India. Decide.
  • A. B will succeed because using the National awards as titles is contrary to Articles 14 and 18.
  • B. B will fail because using the National awards as titles is not contrary to Articles 14 and 18.
  • C. B will succeed because using the National awards as titles is contrary to Article 14.
  • D. B will succeed because using the National awards as titles is contrary to Article 18.
Answer is A is correct. In the case of Balaji Raghavan v. Union of India, the court, while upholding the validity of the titles opined that National awards are not meant to be used as titles. The court also asked for setting up guidelines while awarding these awards. Therefore, Option A is the correct answer.
Question2:- R, a final year law student of University L, challenges the validity of the title ‘Dr.’ used by people who have obtained a doctorate after completing their PhD. Decide.
  • A. R will succeed because it is contrary to Articles 14 and 18.
  • B. R will fail because it is contrary to Article 14 and not Article 18.
  • C. R will fail because it is contrary to Article 18 and not 14.
  • D. R will fail because it is not contrary to Articles 14 and 18.
Answer is D is correct. Article 18 of the Constitution of India provides abolition of titles. It states that no title, not being a military or academic distinction, shall be conferred by the State. An academic distinction is conferred by the title ‘Dr.’ which is not in contravention of Articles 14 and 18. Therefore, Option D is the correct answer.
Question3:- M belongs to the royal family of Polkata whose ancestors were once the rulers of Polkata. She uses the title ‘Princess’ before her name. Decide.
  • A. The title is contrary only to Article 14.
  • B. The title is contrary only to Article 18.
  • C. The title is not contrary to the constitution.
  • D. The title is contrary to Articles 14, 18 and 363A.
Answer is D is correct. Article 18 of the Constitution of India provides for the abolition of titles. It states no title, not being a military or academic distinction, shall be conferred by the State. Article 363A provides- recognition granted to Rulers of Indian States to cease and privy purses to be abolished. Article 14 provides Equality before law-The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India. Therefore, Option D is the correct answer.
Question4:- .4 Identify the veracity of the understated statements based on the information provided in the passage.
  • Statement I: The use of salutations and titles such as "Raja", "Nawab" and "Rajkumar" in constitutional courts, is prohibited.
  • Statement II: The use of salutations and titles such as "Raja", "Nawab" and "Rajkumar" in constitutional courts, is contrary to Articles 14, 18 and 363A of the Constitution of India.
  • A. Statement I is correct and Statement II is incorrect.
  • B. Statement I is incorrect and Statement II is correct.
  • C. Both the statements are correct.
  • D. None of the statements are correct.
Answer is C is correct. According to the passage- The Rajasthan High Court, Jaipur Bench, has held that the use of salutations and titles such as "Raja", "Nawab" and "Rajkumar" in constitutional courts, all other Courts, tribunals, public offices of the State, etc. is prohibited in terms of Articles 14, 18 and 363A of the Constitution of India. Therefore, the correct answer is option C.