The Union government’s Additional Solicitor General told the Madras High Court that the Centre has not issued any directive requiring the Tamil State song Tamil Thai Vazhthu to be sung last during official events where the national song Vande Mataram and the national anthem are also sung.

What happened in the Madras High Court

A public interest litigation in the Madras High Court challenged an earlier notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) dealing with the order of singing the national song, the national anthem, and the Tamil State song during official events. During the hearing, the Union government’s ASG clarified the scope of the Centre’s position and addressed the effect of a notification replacement.

The Union government’s position, as presented through the ASG, included these points:

• The Centre has not issued a directive mandating that Tamil Thai Vazhthu must be sung last in the described scenario where Vande Mataram and the national anthem are also sung. • The PIL challenged an earlier MHA notification, and the petitioner’s case relied on how the earlier notification supported a claimed ordering rule. • The ASG argued that the PIL had become infructuous because MHA replaced the earlier notification with a new notification dated July 9. • The Madras High Court directed the registry to list the PIL after a week so the ASG could place the latest MHA notification before the Bench.

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