Heavens won’t fall if all 6 Vande stanzas sung in madrassas: Calcutta HC
The Calcutta High Court heard a PIL challenging the mandatory singing of Vande Mataram in madrassas. The Acting Chief Justice remarked that singing a quote from another religion does not compromise one's own faith, though the court is examining the jurisdictional authority of the government's mandate.
Why it matters
This case highlights ongoing tensions regarding religious freedom, state mandates in educational institutions, and the limits of government authority in India's secular framework.
KOLKATA: “The heavens will not fall,” Calcutta HC said Tuesday while hearing a PIL against making six stanzas of Vande Mataram mandatory in madrassas.Acting chief justice (ACJ) Tapabrata Chakraborty further remarked, “There have been thousands of Christian schools where all students are asked to pray to the Lord. Then, do a particular community of students belonging to a particular religion ask why are you asking me to sing certain things which are in Christian religion? Heaven will not fall. Today if I am asked to repeat a quote which is not in my religion, what happens? Do I become a person not belonging to my religion?”The PIL litigant was represented by senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya, who submitted that a notification was issued by Centre making all six-stanzas of Vande Mataram mandatory.“How can this be done?
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in