Supreme Court Orders All Cinemas In India To Play National Anthem Before Film

New Delhi:  The national anthem must be played in all theatres before movie screenings, the Supreme Court today directed. Everyone should stand when the anthem is played and the national flag should be on the screen, said the court.

"When the national anthem is played it is imperative for everyone to show honour and respect. It would instill a sense of committed patriotism and nationalism," said the judges.

Acting on a petition on the alleged misuse of the anthem in TV shows or movies, the court also ruled that it should not be commercially exploited or dramatized or printed on objectionable material.

The petition was filed by Shyam Narayan Chouski, who runs an NGO in Bhopal.

It was essential for cinema halls to play the national anthem after every movie in the 1960s. The practice faded away over the years, as multiplexes dramatically changed the movie-watching experience.

In 2003, Maharashtra ordered that the anthem has to be played before the screening of any film.

Whether or not to stand when the anthem is played in the cinema has been confusing to many.

Last year, the Madras High Court said that the audience in cinema halls is not bound to stand when the anthem is played. The court was responding to the home ministry's directive to all states that standing in cinema halls would interrupt the film screening and "create disorder and confusion rather than add to the dignity of the anthem."

Abhinav Shrivasav, the lawyer who argued the petition, said there were "no guidelines on the anthem and we wanted the court to pass orders.