The Supreme Court has refused to hear the petition filed against the political parties against the party symbol instead of the Ashok Chakra in the tricolor flag. Chief Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai said that some parties are doing this since independence.
Petitioner Sanjay Bhimshankar Thobde said that such tampering in the national flag is a violation of the National Gaurav Prevention of insults Act, 1971 (Prevention of Insults to National Honor Act, 1971). The petition mentioned the flags of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress. Both parties put their party’s election symbol in the tricolor flag.
The case was put in the bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai, Justice of Justice and Justice NV Anjaria for hearing. The petitioner himself was present in the court to advocate his petition. The petitioner said that his petition is about the National Gaurav Insult Prevention Act. The parties are showing their election symbol on the national flag.
The Chief Justice asked, ‘How long has this been happening?’ Instead of giving any clear answer to the court question, the petitioner said that the party’s flag has been put in the tricolor in the Congress flag. On this, the Chief Justice said, ‘Some parties are putting their insignia in the tricolor flag before the country’s independence. We dismiss your petition.