HC stays proceedings against Murthy on national anthem issue

Bangalore, Jun 1 (UNI) The Karantaka High Court (HC) today stayed the proceedings in a lower court, against Infosys Chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy for allegedly showing disrespect to National Anthem during the visit of President Abdul Kalam to Infosys Campus in Mysore recently.

Mr Murthy had sought quashing of proceedings against him following a petition filed by activists belonging to ''Karnataka Rakshana Vakilara Vedike'' in the Second City Metropolitan Magistrate's Court.

The court had issued summons to Mr Murthy directing him to appear before the court on or before June 21.

In his appeal to the High Court, Mr Murthy contended that he had not prevented any person from singing the National Anthem and hence a case under Section 3 pertaining to insult to National honours would not arise.

Justice N Shantana Gouda, passing an interim order, stayed all the proceedings of the lower court for eight weeks and posted the next hearing to July nine.

''Karnataka Rakshana Vakilara Vedike'' filed the petition in the lower court citing the incident of playing the musical version of national anthem when President Abdul Kalam visited the Infosys Global Training Centre in Mysore on April eight.

The episode led to furore and several organisations had protested against Mr Murthy's remark that singing of national anthem would not be appropriate as it would ''embarrass'' foreign students present at the campus.

UNI