‘Heavens will not fall if Vande Mataram sung in madrasas': Calcutta High Court
The court was hearing a PIL challenging a government notification making the rendition of the complete national song mandatory in such institutions.
The Calcutta High Court remarked on Tuesday that the heavens would not fall if all six stanzas of Vande Mataram were sung in madrasas, following a Public Interest Litigation challenging a West Bengal government notification. The court, hearing the PIL argued by Senior Advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, questioned whether merely uttering a verse from another religion would impact a person's religious identity.
Drawing a comparison with practices followed in Christian schools, the court noted that students are often asked to pray to the Lord, so why question being asked to sing specific Christian songs. The petitioners argued that Vande Mataram is a national song, not the national anthem, and thus its compulsory recitation in madrasas is unjustified.
The state's attorney general defended the circular, stating that no punitive action has been taken yet, only if such action occurs can one consider it mandatory. The court adjourned the matter for further hearing after the state filed a report.
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