Karnataka High Court dismisses PIL on Vande Mataram

Bengaluru: The High Court on Thursday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) questioning the home ministry’s recent advisory to all schools that they may start their day by singing all six stanzas of Vande Mataram, including the verses on Hindu deities.

A bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha said it was not inclined to entertain the PIL since there was no statutory mandate to sing the national song.

The Court took note of a submission by additional solicitor general Aravind Kamath that the home ministry's advisory included the word "may", suggesting that it was not mandatory. Kamath also added that the Supreme Court recently dismissed a similar petition.


The bench concurred with the additional solicitor general and noted that singing of Vande Mataram was not mandatory unlike the national anthem, while dismissing the PIL.

The petitioner, advocate Somashekhar Rajavamshi, argued that the Centre's recent advisory effectively compelled children in the state schools to participate in the daily singing of devotional songs. The first two stanzas of the song are patriotic, the petitioner said, but the children began singing all six stanzas after the advisory.