National anthem case posted to January 5

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate M Manoj adjourned the case after Tharoor's counsel sought postponement of the case till the end of the current Parliament session and also enable him study the recent High Court order.

Accepting the appeal, the court posted the case to January 5.

A case was registered against Tharoor on a complaint by human rights activist Joy Kaitharath at the CJM here, alleging he had committed offences under Section 3 of Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act, 1977, enacted to prohibit desecration or insult to the national anthem.

Kaitharath contended Tharoor had interrupted the national anthem after a public lecture of Federal Bank here on December 16, 2008. Tharoor took a microphone and directed the audience to sing it the American way, keeping the right hand on the left chest, instead of the attention posture, he said.

Tharoor had approached the court after the case was taken cognisance of by the magistrate in 2009.