Chennai: The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has ruled ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’ is only a prayer song and not a National Anthem and hence, there is no need for every one to remain in standing posture when it is rendered.
Justice G R Swaminathan gave the ruling while quashing an FIR registered against Kan. Ilango of ‘Naam Tamilar Party’.
The controversy was connected to the Pontiff of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, not standing up when ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu’ was played at a 2018 event.
The then Tamilnadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit released a Tamil-Sanskrit dictionary at a function held in Music Academy, Chennai in the presence of the Pontiff on 24 January, 2018.
When the invocation song to Mother Tamil, ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’ was played, the seer remained seated and this triggered considerable outrage and debate.
Ilango, now associated with NTK and then part of ‘Tamilar Desiya Munnani’, and his supporters entered the branch of the Kanchi Mutt in Rameswaram, shouting slogans, condemning the Shankaracharya.