Mumbai: The Magistrate court on Monday dismissed a complaint filed by Vivekanand Gupta, the secretary of Mumbai unit of the BJP against West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleging she insulted the national anthem while on a two-day visit to the city in December 2021.
The Metropolitan Magistrate court in Mazgaon said that Banarjee was reciting the national anthem and there was no violation of the law. The court said no case was made out against her, while dismissing the complaint.
Public function convened by Javed Akhtar
Banerjee attended a public function convened by Javed Akhtar at Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan in South Mumbai on December 1. During the said event, Gupta claimed at the end of the programme, when the national anthem was played the West Bengal CM remained seated, she later stood up midway and walked away abruptly. He claimed that this was an insult and disrespect to the national anthem and sought to prosecute her under the provisions of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
The magistrate court had on February 1, 2022 accepted the complaint. Banerjee, however, had challenged the order before the sessions court. The sessions court remanded the matter back to the Magistrate observing that no proper procedure was followed by the magistrate court while accepting the complaint.
Meanwhile, Banerjee had also moved high court for quashing the case. The plea was rejected by the high court. Later, the Magistrate court earlier this month heard the case afresh and dismissed the complaint.
