‘It’s not must’: SC nixes plea against Vande Mataram circular | India News
New Delhi: Mumbai-based Raja Academy president Muhammad Saeed Noori on Wednesday issued the challenge Supreme Court The Center recently ordered that all schools can start the day’s work with community singing of the full version of the National Anthem.Bande Mataram‘, which invokes the motherland as a Hindu deity, as it constitutionally infringes upon the religious freedom and secularism of Muslims.Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for Noori, told a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Jayamalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi that India is a multi-religious country where the Constitution guarantees freedom to practice any religion and those who do not want to sing the national anthem cannot be forced to do so. “The effect of the offending directive is to place citizens, particularly those of a minority religion or monotheistic faith, in a vulnerable position to participate in expressions contrary to their conscience/belief/religion or to show disrespect to a national symbol”.The bench asked Hegde to show any part of the directive that made it mandatory for schools to sing the national anthem in its full version and asked whether it provided for consequential punishment if anyone violated it.Hegde said a similar directive was issued by the SC in 2018 making singing of the national anthem mandatory in films. “Because of that directive, I and like-minded people stopped watching movies. Patriotism cannot be forced. If the Constitution means anything to an individual, individual conscience must be protected.”The bench said the plea was premature as the directive said that the day’s work in schools “may commence” with the singing of the national anthem. “It doesn’t violate the right to speech because it doesn’t force anyone. When you are forced (to sing the national anthem) you can go to court.”
