Uma Bharti gets clean chit in case related to disrespecting tricolour

Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti was on Thursday discharged by a local court in a ten-year-old case in which she was accused of disrespecting the national flag during her Tiranga Yatra at Hubli.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Pankaj Maheshwari observed that photographs of the 2004 function doesn't show that Uma, who was present in court today, had insulted the national flag.

He said that Uma is being discharged in the case and dismissed the private complaint against her. On December 17, 2004, local Congress leader and advocate Deepchandra Yadav had filed a complaint alleging that Uma had disrespected the national flag during her Tiranga Yatra from Hubli to Jallianwala Bagh.

Yadav's complaint said that Uma organised the Yatra with an eye on the assembly elections in Maharashtra and other states as well as disrespected the flag, using it like a towel. His dismissed the plaint that had alleged that she disrespected the national flag, violating provisions of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.