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Government Asks Supreme Court To Make Singing National Anthem Compulsory In Schools

More 'patriotism' on your way.
School children attend their morning assembly inside a charity school in Leh district of Buddhist dominated Ladakh region in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Stringer India / Reuters
School children attend their morning assembly inside a charity school in Leh district of Buddhist dominated Ladakh region in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

After the Supreme Court made standing up for national anthem compulsory in all movie theatres, now the government wants to make it compulsory in schools.

On Tuesday, the government sought to revisit a 1986 verdict of the Supreme Court which ruled that singing of national anthem is not mandatory, say reports.

"Patriotism must be inculcated in kids. It cannot be done in adults. So, singing national anthem in schools as part of the must be made compulsory," the government's top law officer Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said.

The top law officer asked the court to put in place a strict order to include national anthem in the school curriculum. According to him, "it is extremely important to instil a sense of nationalism from childhood".

On 30 November 2016, the SC made it mandatory to stand up when the National Anthem is sung or played in a cinema theatre. However, in an order yesterday, after reports of violence, the court clarified that there is no need to be on your feet inside a cinema hall when the National Anthem is featured as a part of a film, documentary or a newsreel.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.