CHENNAI: The Union govt has informed the Madras high court that individual states retain full discretion to decide when to render their state song during a govt function and may place it at any point in the programme.“Whenever a state song is rendered with the national song and national anthem, the national song (Vande Mataram) and national anthem (Jana Gana Mana) must be performed together, with the national song preceding the national anthem,” the Union said.The submissions were made in response to a PIL moved by Ananya Radhakrishnan challenging a circular issued by the Union govt dated Jan 28 making it mandatory to sing the national song in govt functions and to issue guidelines ensuring that Tamil Thai Vaazhthu, the official state song of Tamil Nadu, is sung at the start of all official functions and constitutional ceremonies.When the plea came up for hearing before the first bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan, senior panel counsel for the Union, A Kumaraguru, made the clarification and placed of a copy of a revised circular issued by the govt dated July 9.The court was further informed that the Tamil Nadu govt issued a GO dated Aug 12 explicitly referring to the central govt’s revised circular. The GO confirms that Tamil Thai Vaazhthu shall continue to be sung at the beginning of programmes at educational institutions, universities, govt offices and public sector undertakings in Tamil Nadu.Recording the submissions, the bench dismissed the plea as infructuous.
