Leave it to the Govt to decide if Vande Mataram should be compulsory: Madras HC

A Division Bench of the Madras High Court has set aside the single judge order, which had made it compulsory to sing Vande Mataram in educational institutions, Government Offices and private establishments..While deciding on an appeal made in the main matter, the Bench of Justices Huluvadi G Ramesh and RMT Teekaa Raman opined that on,.“…the order of the learned Single Judge, which mention about singing of ‘Vande Matharam’ compulsorily in the educational institutions, Government Offices and private companies/Factories and Industries, we are of the view that since it is a policy decision to be taken by the State (by legislature or the Executive in implementation), in modification of the order of the learned Single Judge, we leave it to the discretion of the Government to take decision in the matter.”.Last July, Justice MV Muralidharan had made singing the patriotic song compulsory while hearing a dispute over marks awarded for a public examination..The main matter pertained to the question of language in which Vande Mataram was first written. The petitioner had contended that it had been written in Bengali originally. However, he was marked down for his answer in the exam, owing to which, he contended, he failed to qualify for the position of Teaching Assistant..The court had agreed that the song was originally written in Bengali, before it proceeded to mandate that the song be sung in schools and other establishments on patriotic rhetoric, holding that.“Patriotism is an essential requirement for every citizen of this country. The fact that this country is our Motherland should always be remembered by every citizen of this country. Several people have sacrificed their lives and families to the independent struggle that prolonged for several decades. In these tough times, it was songs like our national song “Vande Matharam” which created a sense of belief and confidence in the people.”.Read Order below.