| |
Kochi court has granted bail to former UN under secretary general, Shashi Tharoor in a case relating to alleged disrespect of the national anthem. Court's verdict has provided much relief to Tharoor as he is contesting Lok Sabha polls from Thiruvananthapuram on Congress ticket.
Earlier a case has been filed against Tharoor for showing disrespect to the national anthem during the Hormis Memorial Lecture on December 2008. Shashi Tharoor had interrupted the national anthem to urge the audience to place their palms over the heart as people in the US do, instead of the Indian practice of merely standing at attention. This incident led to the filing of the complaint against him.
Following the complaint, additional chief judicial magistrate Cherian K Kuriakose had issued notice to Tharoor to appear in court on Saturday (April 18). During the proceedings, Shashi Tharoor denied the charges against him and said that he has not shown any disrespect to the national anthem. After granting the bail, the magistrate fixed July 9 for the next hearing.
