The Supreme Court on Monday made it clear that the audiences need to stand when the National Anthem is played inside a film.
It is known that on 30th November last year, the apex court ordered cinema halls across the nation to play the National Anthem before screening of a film and that the audiences must stand as a token of respect for their nation.
A number of petitions have been filed in the last month seeking clarification on should the audience stand for the National Anthem only before the start of the film or the same guidelines apply if the Anthem comes as part of a film or documentary.
Responding to the petitions, the Supreme Court Bench clarified that the directions don’t apply if the Anthem is played during the course of an ad, film, newsreel or documentary. The bench added that this issue needed to be debated and has fixed April 18 for further hearing on this.
It is known that several violent incidents have been reported in the past 2-3 months when some people refused to stand for the anthem. The SC Bench commented that respecting the anthem and flag is symbol of love for motherland and that people need to obey the rules.
