New Delhi, 25 March (H.S.):

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to hear a petition filed against the central government's guidelines on singing Vande Mataram at government and public functions. A bench headed by Chief Justice Suryakant remarked that the directive carries no punitive provisions for non-compliance, rendering the plea premature. The Chief Justice clarified that singing Vande Mataram amounts to mere protocol, not a binding obligation.

The petition had been filed by Muhammed Sayeed Noori. During the hearing, senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, representing the petitioner, argued that someone refusing to stand and sing could still be coerced under the guise of these guidelines.

Justice Joymalya Bagchi countered by asking if the directive included any penal measures. Chief Justice Suryakant questioned whether the petitioner had ever been personally forced to sing it, adding that since the petitioner runs a school, its recognition status was unclear to the court.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar