Bengaluru: The Supreme Court has declined to interfere with a Karnataka High Court order upholding the state government’s decision to prescribe a specific tune and duration for singing the state anthem, “Jayabharatha Jananiya Tanujate.”
A bench comprising Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice R Mahadevan dismissed a special leave petition filed by singer Kikkeri Krishnamurthy, who had challenged the Karnataka government’s decision on the rendition of the State anthem.
Krishnamurthy had initially approached the Karnataka High Court questioning the government order issued on September 25, 2022. The order stipulated that “Jayabharatha Jananiya Tanujate” should be sung for two-and-a-half minutes in the tune composed by Mysore Ananthaswamy.
The petitioner argued that the government could not prescribe the raga or tune in which the state anthem should be rendered. The High Court, however, rejected the challenge, holding that prescribing the manner of rendition did not infringe the petitioner’s rights.
After the High Court dismissed his plea, Krishnamurthy approached the Supreme Court through a special leave petition. Senior Advocate V Katarki appeared for the petitioner.
SC finds no reason to intervene
The Supreme Court bench, however, found no reason to intervene in the High Court’s decision. It stressed the need for consistency in the way the State anthem is performed.
“We note that there has to be uniformity in the rendition of the State Anthem both with regard to the raga as well as with regard to the duration of the song. In the circumstances, we do not find any reason to interfere with the impugned order. The Special Leave Petition is hence dismissed,” the bench observed.
The Karnataka High Court had earlier reasoned that the tune had been composed by an expert and rejected the contention that the government lacked authority to prescribe the raga for rendering the Naada Geethe.
The High Court had also held that the prescribed tune did not affect any legal rights of the petitioner. According to the court, ensuring a uniform rendition of the State anthem was a legitimate administrative measure.
With the Supreme Court refusing to entertain the challenge, the Karnataka government’s prescription regarding the tune and duration of Jayabharatha Jananiya Tanujate remains in place.
The ruling settles the latest legal challenge over how Karnataka’s State anthem should be performed and reinforces the principle that a uniform format can be prescribed for its official rendition.
