National flag row lands Sania in court again

HYDERABAD: Tennis sensation Sania Mirza, who recently escaped trouble for shooting an advertisement near the Mecca mosque in the city, is once again in the news for the wrong reasons.

A criminal case has been filed in the third additional munsif magistrate’s court of Tirupati against the Hyderabad girl for showing disrespect to the national flag.

High court lawyer K Ramesh, who filed the case, has sought a non-bailable warrant against Sania and an imprisonment of three years. Ramesh produced newspaper and video clippings of Sania during the Hopman Cup tournament in Perth, Australia, showing her feet almost touching the national flag.

Admitting the case, the court has posted its hearing for next week.

Actress Mandira Bedi too was hauled up for wearing a tri-colour saree at a national event some time back.

Sania was in the news in December 2007 for acting in an ad film shot in the premises of the Mecca mosque, sparking a protest by a local political outfit.

She narrowly escaped another fatwa by local clerics after the Mecca mosque authorities filed a case of trespassing against her. Sania has been in the news ever since she won the WTA Hyderabad Open at the age of 19 and strode to become the 35th ranked player on the women’s tennis circuit.