The Union Home Ministry submitted an affidavit before the High Court saying both the versions of national anthem with the word Sindhu used for playing or singing and the version in the text which uses the word Sindh are correct. The case will come up for hearing tomorrow after the Court pulled up the Centre for not giving the correct position.
The affidavit was filed by the Union Ministry in reply to a public interest litigation filed by retired professor Shreekanth Malushte challenging use of the word Sindh in the national anthem. The MHA in its affidavit has however claimed that the word ?Sindh? and ?Sindhu? mean the same and may be referred to either the river or the Sindhi community.
"The word Sindh and Sindhu both refer to either the river or the Sindhi community. The anthem is not a chronicle which defines territory of the nation and does not enlist the states or regional areas which was part of India at the point of time when it was written," the affidavit states.
The Home Ministry affidavit referred to a judgment given by the Supreme Court in May 2005 dismissing a petition filed seeking deletion of the word ?Sindh? and replacing it with Kashmir?