Mumbai court junks complaint against Mamata Banerjee, says reciting anthem differs from singing

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee/File Photo

A Mumbai court has dismissed a complaint against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, filed by a BJP worker, who accused her of disrespecting the national anthem during an event, stated a report in the PTI. The court ruled that reciting the national anthem is not equivalent to singing it, emphasizing the distinction between the two actions.

According to the report, in the video of the event, Banerjee was not observed abruptly leaving during the singing of the anthem, as alleged by the complainant. Metropolitan Magistrate SB Kale, in his ruling, explained that "singing" and "reciting certain words or lines" of the national anthem should not be equated with each other. The court pointed out that it was not the legislative intention to prosecute individuals who explain or teach the anthem to an audience.

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'Singing' and 'reciting certain words or lines' of the national anthem are two different things and cannot be equated with each other. Otherwise, a teacher or a speaker explaining it to an audience will be held responsible for disrespecting the anthem, the court said. It further added that to prosecute such a person was not the intention of the legislature when the law was enacted.

According to the report, the complainant, BJP worker Vivekanand Gupta, had sought police action against Banerjee under the Prevention of Insults to the National Honour Act, claiming that she did not stand up when the anthem was played at an event during her visit to Mumbai in December 2021.

The court's order stated, "After reviewing the 17 to 19 seconds video clip provided by the complainant, it is evident that, at the time in question, the accused was seen reciting some words from the National Anthem." The video did not show Banerjee singing the anthem, nor did it indicate any attempt to do so. Furthermore, it noted that Banerjee was not seen abruptly stopping the singing of the national anthem or leaving the venue.

The court also criticized the lack of context in the complainant's video footage and highlighted the absence of efforts to procure a more detailed video recording of the event.

With PTI inputs