An ex-serviceman has filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to authorities to ban inscriptions and images on the national flag and their sale in the market. Action should also be initiated against the violators under the Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act and the Flag Code of India.
When the petition came up before the First Bench of Chief Justice M.Y. Eqbal and Justice A. Arumugha Swamy, the Government Pleader and the Senior Central Government Standing Counsel took notice. The matter has been posted for further hearing after four weeks. In the meantime, the petitioner should implead necessary parties in the petition, the court said.
Petitioner R. Kannan alias R. Govindarajulu of Kilmaruvathur, Kancheepuram district, stated that during the Independence Day celebrations in 2011 he saw national flags with inscriptions of some images printed on them being sold.
ADVERTISEMENT
The shape of the flags had also been distorted. This amounted to disrespecting the tricolour. The culture of wearing distorted flag would defeat the purpose of honouring it. On November 16 last year, he wrote to the authorities seeking ban on the sale of modified versions of the national flag. No action was taken.