High Court tells Centre to clarify the correct word to be used in National Anthem

The state government on Thursday informed the court that it was following a 1953 central government circular in using the word Sindhu instead of Sindh in National Anthem in textbooks.

A division bench of justices Anoop Mohta and NM Jamdar was informed about the circular by the government and given a copy of the Anthem which it was relying on.

Accordingly, the court has now asked the Centre to clarify its stand on which word is correct and should be used in textbooks. The court has directed the union government to file its reply in January 2015.

The direction was given during the hearing of a public interest litigation filed by one Dakshata Shet with respect to Std X textbooks printed by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. She sought direction to the government for the withdrawal/destruction of the textbooks and publishing of the correct National Anthem.

Shet has relied on HC and SC judgments, which have upheld the use of the word Sindh, to prove her contention. She argued that SC had said National Anthem should not change because of territorial changes in the country.

On the last occasion, the bench had echoed the view and said National Anthem has to be uniform all over the country.