By IANS
Bhopal : A court here Wednesday issued notice to tennis star Sania Mirza for allegedly dishonouring the national flag of India during her visit to Australia during Hopman Cup matches.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Ajay Shrivastava accepted a petition in this regard from a lawyer. The case was filed Jan 3.
“The next date of hearing has been fixed for March 10 and Sania will have to obtain a bail by that time before appearing in the court to explain her side,” petitioner Raj Kumar Dubey told IANS.
The case was filed under section 2 of the Prevention of Insult to the National Honour Act of 1971. Dishonouring the national flag is an offence that attracts a maximum sentence of three years with fine.
Sania, representing India at the Hopman Cup in Australia, was caught on camera watching a match putting her feet right in front of the national flag of India.
The court admitted the case after four witnesses admitted having seen the photograph of Sania, dishonouring the tricolour and a photo expert testifying the snap appears to be a genuine one devoid of any trick photography.
“Sania got so much involved in watching the match that she forgot where her feet were, and what is the value of the tricolour in the heart of Indians. She should, therefore, be penalized,” Dubey contended before the court.
Union Sports Minister Mani Shankar Iyer was also made a party in the case but the case rejected the petitioner’s appeal for want of evidence. Dubey had urged the court that the sports minister should also be asked to enact a law to deal with rising number of incidents of insult to the national flag.