Solicitor General's 'Naxal' Jibe Fuels Tense Exchange Over Vande Mataram In Top Court
A heated exchange occurred in the Supreme Court between Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate S Muralidhar over the use of the term 'Naxalite' during a hearing regarding the Vande Mataram anthem. The court is currently reviewing a petition challenging an amendment that makes failing to sing the national song a penal offense.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the growing tension between legal decorum and the increasingly polarized political rhetoric used by government officials in India.
The use of the word "Naxalites" by the government's lawyer ignited a confrontation in the Supreme Court on Tuesday during the hearing of a challenge to the recent legal amendment that makes not singing Vande Mataram a penal offence. Senior advocate S Muralidhar, who was arguing the petition filed by singer TM Krishna, took strong offence to the use of the word, but Solicitor General Tushar Mehta refused to withdraw his comment."Law-making should not be [as per] Naxalites," Mehta had remarked, after Muralidhar argued that a top-down approach to law-making was not appropriate.Muralidhar, who is a former high court judge, immediately said, "He should withdraw this. This is going live. Let him repeat! This was unnecessary. Some decorum is to be observed. We don't expect this from law officers."Mehta remained steadfast. "I can repeat what I said. One has to go by law.
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