Calcutta High Court Vande Mataram Madrasas Hearing

The India — Calcutta High Court, comprising Acting Chief Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen, heard public interest litigations challenging a India — West Bengal government notification that made singing all six stanzas of Vande Mataram mandatory in madrasas under the India — Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department. The court orally remarked that 'heavens will not fall' if all six stanzas are sung, drawing comparisons to Christian schools where students pray. Petitioners, represented by senior advocates Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and Kalyan Bandopadhyay, argued that compulsory singing could disrupt communal harmony and that the national anthem holds a higher constitutional status. The court questioned whether any punitive action had been taken and noted prima facie merit in jurisdictional arguments. The Additional Solicitor General Dhiraj Kumar Trivedi opposed interim stay and sought time to file a report. The matter was adjourned pending the state's report.