The Indian flag flies high everywhere on the occasion of the 75th Independence day. While you can display it, there are rules you need to follow.
Origin of the tricolor
The Indian flag was first taken up, in its present form during the Constituent Assembly’s meeting on July 22, 1947. Previously, a flag with three horizontal stripes of red, yellow, and green was hoisted on August 7, 1906, in Calcutta’s (now Kolkata) Parsee Bagan Square. However, Pingal Venkayya, a freedom fighter met Mahatma Gandhi in 1921 and proposed a different design with two red and green stripes. The tricolor first saw light in 1931, after several changes in the Congress Committee’s meeting in Karachi.
All about the rules around the Indian flag
One of the earliest rules governing the display of the tricolor flag is overseen by The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 also took up the task. According to the 1971 law, defilement or insult to the country’s national symbols is prohibited and punishable.
“Whoever in any public place or in any other place within public view burns, mutilates, defaces, defiles, disfigures, destroys, tramples upon or into contempt (whether by words, either spoken or written, or by acts) the Indian National Flag or the Constitution of India or any part thereof, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.” states the Section 2 of the 1971 act.
According to the Indian Flag Code of 2002, there are three main parts to the rules governing the display of the tricolor. They are descriptions, the display of the flag by private and public bodies and educational institutes, and the rules for displaying by governments. This law made the display of the flag, as long as it upholds dignity and honors, a legal act.
What constitutes ‘disrespect to the national flag’?
Acts like dipping the flag in salute to another thing or person and waving it at half-mast (other than specific locations) is a discretion. In addition to this, draping the flag is also disrespectful. However, it is allowed in state funerals and last rites of armed or paramilitary forces’ members. So, dressing up or using it in your clothes (apart from a pin) is not respectful.
Some recent events of disrespect include the wrong display of stripes, draping the flag during the farmer’s protests in UP. Additionally, it includes wrapping the dead farmers in the tricolor. Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi is accused of using the flag for decoration. “It appears that the national flag was used for decoration. It is not in tune with provisions of the Indian Flag Code. As specified by the Ministry of Home Affairs,” accused Prahalad Patel, in his letter. Patel is the Union Culture and Tourism Minister. A case popped up against Amitabh Bachchan in 2011. It was for wrapping the flag around himself while celebrating India’s victory after the World Cup match against Pakistan.