A division bench of the Calcutta High Court raised doubts on the admissibility of a public interest litigation challenging the Central government’s guidelines on the official protocol for ‘Vande Mataram’. Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen asked the petitioner to provide logical evidence supporting the PIL’s admissibility. Additional Solicitor General Ashoke Chakraborty questioned the motives behind the PIL, emphasizing the national song’s significance to the country’s sovereignty and security.
The petitioner’s counsel, Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya, highlighted that the PIL contested the Union government’s directive to perform the complete version of ‘Vande Mataram’ at state events. Bhattacharya referenced historical decisions by Jawaharlal Nehru and Rabindranath Tagore regarding the song’s composition and adoption as the national song. The bench instructed the petitioner’s counsel to furnish evidence backing the PIL’s historical context and admissibility.
The division bench stressed the importance of presenting relevant evidence to support the PIL’s claims based on historical narratives. The court set the next hearing for March 23, requiring the counsel to provide necessary evidence by then for further consideration.
