New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to Centre on a petition seeking ‘a national policy to promote and propagate the National Anthem, National Song and National Flag’.
The petitioners have argued that the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act should be amended to introduce penalty for those who disrespect the National Anthem. The plea stated that the existing Act has provision to penalize an individual for disrespecting the flag, but not for disrespecting the national anthem.
There was a strong opposition to this from lawyers representing Kodungallur Film Society in Kerala who contended that the petition was not maintainable as it violated the separation of powers between the Centre and the states.
The three-judge bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra also issued a notice to the Centre on the plea to make Vande Mataram essential for all educational institutions. The government has been given four weeks to reply. The next hearing in the matter is on August 23.
The court is also considering to exempt people who are diagnosed with autism, cerebral palsy, multiple disabilities, Parkinson’s disease, stenosis, leprosy and polio from standing up during the national anthem. Senior Advocate Raju Ramachandran had filed an intervention application in the apex court seeking relaxing in the norms for the disabled people.
Comments
0 comment