National anthem to be played at movie theaters but not courts: India's Supreme Court

This comes after the court made it compulsory for theaters to play the national anthem before every movie screening.
 By 
Manish Singh
 on 
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

India’s top court has deemed it necessary to play the national anthem in theaters in the country, but not in courtrooms.

On Friday, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a plea that proposed playing national anthem before the start of court proceedings, stating that its order should not be overstretched.

“Whether right or wrong, our order should not be overstretched. Bar should show some restraint,” the bench said Friday.


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Shortly after the Supreme Court ruled it mandatory for all public theaters in India to play national anthem before movies, a petition was filed by BJP spokesperson Ashwani Kumar Upadhyay to extend the it to all courts.

The Supreme Court said today that a proper plea should be filed and that it would be seeking assistance of the Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi in this regard.

India’s decision earlier this week to play the national anthem before each screening hasn’t been received with open arms. The court had said that playing national anthem, accompanied by images of the Indian flag on the screen, instills a "sense of committed patriotism and nationalism" in people.

The ruling, which now requires all public theaters in the country to comply this month, was a response to a petition by Shyam Narayan Chouksey, a 78-year-old man who said he often found himself to be the only person standing while the national anthem was played at a theater.

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Manish Singh

Manish Singh was a Mashable's senior correspondent in India. He has previously freelanced with CNET, NDTV Gadgets, BGR India, and MediaNama.

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