The Madras High Court has clarified that there is no bar on singing the Tamil anthem, ‘Tamil Thai Vazhthu’, first at government functions in Tamil Nadu, stating a recent Union Home Ministry circular does not relegate the state song to a later position.
The clarification came during the hearing of a public interest litigation filed by Chennai-based Ananya Radhakrishnan, who sought directions to ensure that government functions in Tamil Nadu begin with Tamil Thai Vazhthu. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murughan pointed out that this was precisely the sequence followed at the Madras High Court on Independence Day – Tamil Thai Vazhthu first, followed by Vande Mataram and the National Anthem. After hearing the submissions, the High Court reserved its orders on the petition.
The Centre also informed the court that the notification says nothing about state anthems and does not stipulate that Tamil Thai Vazhthu should be sung last.
