Back in the December 2016, Supreme Court has made a sensational announcement on National Anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’. The apex court declared that the National Anthem must be sung in cinema theaters before the beginning of the movie. Though some people obliged the law, some gladly accepted it as a sign of honoring country.

Now, Madras High Court, in a similar fashion, passed a notice saying that National Song ‘Vande Matharam’, must be sung at least once in a week in every Educational, Office, Private and all other kinds of institutions. The order has also suggested Monday and Friday as the preferable days.

Related Article: Supreme Court Makes National Anthem Mandatory In Theaters Before The Film Begins

The writ petition for this is filed by K. Veeramani who was seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu Teacher’s Recruitment Board to award one mark to him, and it was Justice M.V. Muralidharan by whom the order was given. Here, the petitioner said he had taken the Teacher Eligibility Test in 2013. While he answered the National Song was written in Bengali, the answer key gave it as Sanskrit.

Later, disposing of the petition, the judge directed the TRB to award the mark to Mr. Veeramani.

Mr. Justice Muralidharan in his order said:

“Patriotism is an essential requirement for every citizen of this country. The fact that this country is our Motherland should always be remembered by every citizen of this country. Several people have sacrificed their lives and families to the independence struggle that prolonged for several decades. In these tough times, it was songs like our National Song ‘Vande Mataram,’ which created a sense of belief and confidence in the people.”

In addition to that, the Judge also added, “the national song should be played and sung in all government offices and institutions, private companies, factories, and industries at least once a month.”

Following that, the concerned Director of Public Information is directed to upload and circulate the translated version of “Vande Mataram” in Tamil and English thereby making it available on the government websites and also in social media respectively.

The verdict from the Madras HC then concluded, “Let a copy of this order be marked to the Chief Secretary of the Government of Tamil Nadu, who shall issue appropriate instructions to the concerned authorities; In the event, any person/organisation has difficulty in singing or playing the national song, he or she shall not be compelled or forced to sing it, provided there are valid reasons for not doing so.”