India News
Supreme Court Says Playing National Anthem Before Movie Screenings Not Mandatory

A day after the Central government took a u-turn to state in an affidavit that it was now not in favour of mandatory playing of national anthem before movie screenings, the Supreme Court on Tuesday, January 9, revoked its interim order to this effect.
The bench comprising of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud passed the order on a plea challenging the dramatization and misuse of the national anthem.
During the course of proceedings, Attorney General KK Venugopal apprised the bench that Central Government has constituted a committee to set up policies to decide the circumstances when the national anthem should be played or sung with decorum.
The bench directed the petitioner, Shyam Narayan Chouksey to approach the committee and passed the following directions while disposing of the plea:
- The committee shall give final discussion on these issues
- The interim order passed on November 23, 2016 is modified, playing of national anthem prior to the movie is not mandatory.
- The citizens and persons who are in India are bound to show respect in all things relating to national pride.
- These directions are not enforceable to all the disable persons and all those people who use wheel chair.
The apex court had on November 30, 2016 directed that all cinema halls must play national anthem before screening of films saying that “it would instill the feeling within one, a sense committed patriotism and nationalism.”
The direction was given “for love and respect for the motherland is reflected when one shows respect to the National Anthem as well as to the National Flag.”
“A time has come, the citizens of the country must realise that they live in a nation and are duty bound to show respect to National Anthem, which is the symbol of the constitutional patriotism and inherent national quality,” the bench added.
The order came on the PIL filed by a retired engineer from Bhopal, Shyam Narayan Chouksey, who sought norms regarding the playing of the national anthem in public places, including cinema halls, entertainment programmes and during official functions.
The issue gave an excuse for lawless jingoism and there were multiple instances of violence against those who could not or did not stand up when the national anthem was played.
Then, during the hearing on a PIL on October 23 last year, Justice DY Chandrachud, a member of the bench along with CJI Dipak Misra and Justice AM Khnawilkar, had questioned the logic behind the order, wondering, “Why do people have to wear their patriotism on their sleeve?”
In stark opposition to the CJI’s November 2016 order, he had further observed that it cannot be assumed that if a person does not stand up for the national anthem, he is ‘less patriotic’. “People go to a movie theatre for undiluted entertainment. Society needs that entertainment,” he added.
India News
WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh hits out at protesting wrestlers, tags medal immersion claims as emotional drama
The protesting wrestlers on Tuesday, in a dramatic turn of events gathered at the banks of Ganga in Haridwar to immerse the medals won by them in Ganga as a part of their protest.

Amid the allegations on him, Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Wednesday, attacked the wrestlers protesting, tagging the medal immersion claims as emotional drama and that this would not hang him.
India’s top wrestlers including Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia, Sakshee Mallikh and Asian Games champion Vinesh Phogat have been protesting since January this marking grave allegations of sexual harassment against the WFI President.
Singh said it’s been four months since the wrestlers are protesting demanding to take action against him and hang him for the sexual harassment of female athletes but no action has been taken by the government yet as the protestors have no evidence to prove their allegations.
Singh said the immersion of medals would not hang him and if they(the protesting wrestlers) want so, they should produce the evidence before the police and the Court and if the Court orders him to be hanged, he will happily accept the punishment.
Singh further challenged that if any allegation is proven against him, he will hang himself.
The protesting wrestlers on Tuesday, in a dramatic turn of events gathered at the banks of Ganga in Haridwar to immerse the medals won by them in Ganga as a part of their protest.
Bharat Kisan Union national chief Naresh Tikait jumped in with other leaders of the khap reaching Haridwar to convince the wrestlers to hold off, giving five days ultimatum to the government.
Meanwhile, a mahapanchayat of the farmer leaders and heads and leaders of khaps from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab has been organised in UP’s Muzaffarnagar tomorrow.
The central issue of the discussion in the huge meeting would be the wrestlers protest, where future steps of the protest would be discussed.
The wrestlers until May 28 were protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar since April 23 demanding action against Singh for alleged sexual harassment of female athletes.
.
India News
Home Minister Amit Shah visits Moreh and other severely violence affected districts in Manipur
Moreh is a town which has been significantly impacted by the ongoing unrest.

On Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visits the Model town of Moreh, located on India-Myanmar border in an effort to restore peace in the violence-hit Manipur as it is witnessing violence for almost a month now that has left over 80 people dead.
Moreh is a town which has been significantly impacted by the ongoing unrest. Shah began his visit to Moreh around 10 am . He will interact with Kuki civil society groups and will access the current security measures in place.
Shah is also expected to visit Kangpokpi district around 1pm, a Kukis dominated area but also is home to many Meitei villages. Kangpokpi is one of the majorly violence affected districts. Reports said, the buildings and religious structures of both the communities have been a point of target in the violence.
Security officials earlier reported, there have been overnight gunfights between insurgents and security forces in Sugnu, Kakching district. Reports also claimed civilian injury during attack in Sagolmang, East of Imphal.
The Home minister arrived Imphal late on Monday night, Shah held a series of meetings with Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, senior cabinet ministers, top security officers and various leaders from the Meitei community in pursuit of a resolution to the escalating ethnic clashes that broke out since May 3. He also held an all party meeting on Tuesday, which aimed to restore peace in the state.
The visit of the Home Minister is to ensure the peace restoration and bring back normalcy in the law and order situation of Manipur. Shah was accompanied by Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Director of the Intelligence Bureau Tapan Kumar Deka.
In Shah’s meeting key decisions were taken to curb the violence and bring back normalcy such as announcement of a Centre-state equally contributed compensation worth Rs 10 lakh and a job to the kin of those killed in the violence, set-up of dedicated communication channels to counter the dissemination of rumors, improvement in law and order along others.
The hill state has been in trouble since May 3, a clash broke out after a Tribal Solidarity March was organised to protest the Metei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe(ST) status.
India News
Farmers convene mahapanchayat in UP’s Muzaffarnagar tomorrow to address wrestlers protest issue
The agenda of the meeting will be to discuss the next steps to be taken to make the impact of the wrestlers protest larger.

After a dramatic turn of events yesterday at Haridwar, a large group of farmers has convened a mahapanchayat in the Sauram town of Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh tomorrow to address the issue of ongoing wrestlers protest.
Bharatiya Kisan Union chief and the head of the Balyan Khap Naresh Tikait has informed that at the Mahapanchayat in the Sauram Chaupal, the wrestlers protest will be the central issue of discussion.
The mahapanchayat, as the name suggests is expected to be a huge gathering of the farmers and the heads of different khaps and their representatives from various northern states such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan.
The agenda of the meeting will be to discuss the next steps to be taken to make the impact of the wrestlers protest larger.
India’s ace wrestlers Sakshee Mallikh, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat have been protesting since January who gave a break in the middle for some period, resumed their protest outside Jantar Mantar in Delhi on April 23.
The wrestlers are in protest demanding action against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brijbhusan Sharan Singh, whom they have accused of sexual harrasment of female athletes including some minors.
Singh is a sitting BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh, said to have a wide influence over almost 6 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
On Tuesday, the wrestlers reached Haridwar to immerse the medals won by them in Ganga as a part of their protest.
The wrestlers were in view that there is no point of them keeping the medals which brought pride to the country after their years of hardship as their voice is being unheard by the government.
However, Naresh Tikait and other leaders of the Khap reached the banks of Ganga at Haridwar and convinced the protesting wrestlers to hold off the idea of immersion of medals giving an ultimatum to the Centre for five days.
On May 28, the day of new Parliament inauguration, the protesting wrestlers leading a large group of crowd marched towards the Parliament building but were detained by the Delhi police midway and FIRs were registered against some for law and order violations.
Visuals of tussle between the wrestlers and the police also surfaced, where both the sides were seen grappling with another.
-
India News23 hours ago
How dare you disturb my sleep: Retired BSF man shoots at UP sanitation worker for playing Swachhta song, arrested
-
India News24 hours ago
Congress brokers peace between warring Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot but it’s a fragile situation still
-
India News23 hours ago
Please don’t go: Go Air ready to pay Rs 1 lakh more to pilots, Rs 50,000 more to first officers in retention effort
-
Entertainment22 hours ago
Vicky Kaushal, Sara Ali Khan exhilarated at stadium as Chennai Super Kings clinches victory, video viral; watch
-
India News22 hours ago
On completing nine years in office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he’ll continue to improve lives
-
Latest Politics News5 hours ago
Government tried to stop Bharat Jodo Yatra, BJP threatening people, says Rahul Gandhi in USA
-
India News4 hours ago
Farmers convene mahapanchayat in UP’s Muzaffarnagar tomorrow to address wrestlers protest issue
-
India News2 hours ago
Home Minister Amit Shah visits Moreh and other severely violence affected districts in Manipur