more-in The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of a Government Hospital at Ambur in Vellore district was caught on camera talking on his mobile phone when the national anthem was played on August 15. The Madras High Court has now made him hoist the national flag every day for a week, salute it and also sing the anthem under police watch. Justice P.N. Prakash had imposed the conditions while granting anticipatory bail to A. Kennedy, the CMO, in a case booked by Ambur Town Police under Section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act of 1971. An individual named Suresh Babu had lodged the complaint after the video of the accused talking over phone went viral on the social media. According to the complaint, the CMO was talking on the mobile phone when the anthem was being played after the local MLA hoisted the national tricolour in the hospital. However, the petitioner’s counsel contended that he was attending an urgent call from the office of Director of Medical Services and did not mean to insult either the flag or the national anthem. After taking the nature of allegations into consideration, Mr. Justice Prakash decided to grant advance bail since custodial interrogation would not be necessary in such a case. He, however, ordered that the petitioner hoist the flag at the hospital for a week, salute it and also sing the anthem under the supervision of the Inspector of Ambur Town Police Station. The Inspector was directed to monitor whether the petitioner complied with the condition and forward a report to the local Judicial Magistrate. It also asked the CMO to appear before the police for interrogation. “On breach of any of the aforesaid conditions, the learned Magistrate is entitled to take appropriate action against the petitioner in accordance with law as if the conditions had been imposed and the petitioner was released on bail by the Magistrate himself as laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in P.K.Shaji versus State of Kerala (2005),” the judge said. He added that a fresh First Information Report under Section 229 A of Indian Penal Code be registered against the petitioner if he absconded after obtaining advance bail. In compliance of the court directions, Mr. Kennedy began hoisting the national flag on the government hospital campus in the presence of police personnel.

Stay updated with all the Chennai Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.