বাংলায় পড়ুন
The Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said that a 12 member inter-ministerial committee, set up by the Centre would take the final call on playing of national anthem in the cinemas. The bench, also comprising Justice A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said the committee should comprehensively look into all the aspects relating to the playing of national anthem and allowed the petitioners to make representations before the panel. “Playing of the Anthem is directive, but showing respect is mandatory,” Chief Justice Misra observed.
Furthermore, the committee shall also see if the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, needs to be amended to further clarify the meaning of ‘respect’ to the national anthem. The committee will submit its final report in six months time.
Furthermore, the Bench while disposing the pending petitions opined that the exemption granted earlier to the disabled persons from standing in the cinema halls to the national anthem “shall remain in force on all occasions”.
The Court order came on Tuesday in response to a government request to reconsider the earlier ruling. In the earlier ruling, the court had observed that people do not need to stand up in the cinema halls to prove their patriotism and had proposed that the Centre to re-consider amending the rules for regulating playing of the national anthem in the theatres. “People go to cinema halls for undiluted entertainment. Society needs entertainment. We cannot allow you (Centre) to shoot from our shoulders. People do not need to stand up in cinema halls to prove their patriotism,” the bench had observed earlier.
