Hazare insulted national flag, petitioner tells SC

The Supreme Court will hear a petition on Friday seeking direction to the central government to take action against Anna Hazare and his aides Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal for showing disrespect to the national flag during their Lokpal agitation in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.

Chennai-based petitioner L.K. Venkat alleged that Hazare and his associates had flown the flag at half mast in public, put it on the ground and defaced it.

The petition said that his representation to the government to initiate action against Hazare and his team members was ignored.

He said that acts of Hazare and his associates constituted an offence that was punishable under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.

Hazare and his associates had shown disrespect to the national flag "knowingly, intentionally and deliberately". Their actions were punishable with imprisonment of three years, the petition said.

Venkat said that he had sent to the government the video of actions of Hazare and his aides along with his application seeking action against them.