Vande Mataram needs equal status, respect: SC lawyer
After the Supreme Court made it mandatory to play the National Anthem in all cinema halls, a petition by an apex court lawyer has demanded "equal respect and status" for National Song Vande Mataram. "On January 24, 1950, Jana Gana Mana and Vande Mataram both songs were adopted of equal honour with each other and equal status," said the petitioner. n
Even before the row over the order asking cine-goers to stand up before a movie for the National Anthem died down, the Supreme Court Tuesday admitted a plea which said "equal respect and status" should be given to National Song Vande Mataram too. "Constituent Assembly of India was empowered by Jawaharlal Nehru in August 25, 1948 by making a statement to alter the words or choose entirely a new song but unfortunately it could not be done and on January 24, 1950 Jana Gana Mana and Vande Mataram both songs were adopted of equal honour with each other and equal status," said the petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Sanjeev Bhatnagar. This was one of the several intervention applications filed by people who opposed to the November 30 order which made it mandatory for all cinema theatres across the country to play the National Anthem during which it was made compulsory for the public to show respect by standing up. One of the petition even termed the order "popocorn nationalism". Also read: Handwara encounter: Army major succumbs to injuries Significantly, the court on Tuesday clarified that the audience need not stand when the National Anthem is played as a part of the storyline of a film, a newsreel or a documentary. Agreeing to hear all the plea together on April 18, Justice Misra made it categorical to Bhatnagar that he will not be allowed to delve too much into history and should restrict himself only to legal debate on the issue. "We cannot get into all that. Yes, you have made some good research. But there is a lot of difference between intellectual curiosity and legal debate. You have to draw a distinction between the two. Remember, we have only one National Anthem and do not propagate theories here," SC told Bhatnagar. Also Read: Bihar: Clamour grows within RJD for Tejaswi as CM, Lalu says he is the future This was after Bhatnagar argued that a decision on equal respect to anthem and National Song required an intervention by the SC because "clearly the role of Vande Mataram has been referred by the Constituent Assembly as it has played a historic part in the struggle in the Indian Freedom". "The author Tagore conceded in his own letters written in 1937 he gave his composition "Bharat Bhagya Vidhata" to then Congress officials in 1911 and his composition was dedicated to the almighty (Brahmo Samaj). 