Plea against national emblem atop new Parliament building dismissed by Supreme Court
The petitioners had said that the lions portrayed in the new emblem appeared to be ‘ferocious and aggressive’ with their mouths open and canines visible.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition claiming that the design of the national emblem atop the new Parliament building violated the State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act of 2005, reported Bar and Bench.
A bench of Justices MR Shah and Krishna Murari dismissed the plea noting that the judges have seen the emblem and held that it did not violate the law.
The plea was moved in July by two advocates, Aldanish Rein and Ramesh Kumar Mishra, who contended that the lions portrayed in the emblem appeared to be “ferocious and aggressive” as their mouths were open and canines visible.
The petition noted that the original emblem which resembled the one in Sarnath, the erstwhile capital of Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, was “calm and composed” and representative of the four core spiritual philosophies of Budhha, reported Live Law.
However, on Friday, the judges noted: “The impression the emblem gives depends on the mind of the person.”
The new national emblem, made of bronze, was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 12. It is 6.5-metres high and weighs 9,500 kilograms. It is cast on the roof of the new Parliament building, which is a part of the Central Vista project in New Delhi.