(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
President of Flag Foundation of India (FFI) Naveen Jindal on
Sunday welcomed the latest Amendment to the Flag Code of India 2002
after which a common citizen can hoist and unfurl the national flag
24 hours a day (day and night) at their homes and office locations,
said a statement issued by the FFI, Trend reports citing ThePrint .
Earlier, in 2009, the government had permitted that the
tricolour can be flown day and night on“giant flagpoles with
proper illuminance and power backup” after Naveen Jindal had given
a representation to the government.
“This is a very progressive decision. This amendment to the Flag
Code of India will definitely encourage more and more people to
display the Tiranga with dignity and pride on all days of the year
and will also give a boost to the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign. Jai
Hind,” Jindal tweeted.
“It has been Jindal's dream to see the Tiranga reach every house
in the country and he has appealed to the people to display it with
pride and take inspiration from our Tiranga,” the statement
said.
Successive governments have time and again amended the rules to
ensure the flag reaches more and more people— allowing people to
wear the flag, allowing monumental flags, recent amendment in the
Flag Code for cloth material and now this amendment to fly the flag
24 hours.
“FFI has given representations and written letters to MHA asking
for the same and today it is indeed a proud moment for each one of
us,” said in a statement.
Till 2004, ordinary citizens were not allowed to display the
national flag except on select days.
In a decade-long legal struggle, Jindal won all Indians the
right to display the Tiranga on all days of the year with dignity
and pride, release stated.
His struggle for the Tricolour began in early 1992 when he
hoisted the Tricolour at his plant in Raigarh.
The then Commissioner of Bilaspur objected to it on the ground
that as per the Flag Code of India, a private citizen was not
permitted to fly the Indian flag except on certain days.
Jindal filed a petition before the High Court arguing that no
law could forbid Indian citizens from flying the national flag.
The High Court allowed the petition and held that the Flag Code
of India was not a valid restriction on the right to freedom of
expression under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.
The Union of India filed an appeal against this decision to the
Supreme Court on whether citizens were free to fly the national
flag was only a policy decision, and could not be subject to court
interference.
“The matter then came up for hearing before the Supreme Court
which observed that prima facie they see no reason why citizens
cannot express patriotism by displaying the national flag,” it
said.
The court also observed that restrictions on flying the national
flag only on certain days by private citizens seemed
unsustainable.
On January 23, 2004, the Supreme Court dismissed the civil
appeal filed by the Union of India against the judgment and order
dated 22 September 1995 of the Delhi High Court and held that
flying the national flag was a symbol of expression that came
within the right to freedom of expression under Article 19(1)(a) of
the Constitution.
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