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On 22nd Anniversary, Supreme Court Flag Ruling’s Civic Legacy Endures

The 2004 judgment recognized flag-flying as protected speech for every Indian.

Overview

  • The Delhi High Court in 1995 affirmed citizens’ right to hoist the national flag throughout the year, overturning earlier limits in practice.
  • In 2004, the Supreme Court in Union of India v. Naveen Jindal held that flying the tricolour with dignity is part of the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression.
  • Naveen Jindal’s 1993 act of hoisting the flag at his factory, followed by an order to remove it, led to the litigation that established this right.
  • Parliament later amended the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 to permit respectful display of the flag on clothing and apparel.
  • Naveen and Shallu Jindal’s Flag Foundation of India reports celebrating the installation of 200 monumental flags nationwide to deepen public connection to the symbol.