Madras High Court: State governments may decide order of State song at official events

The Madras High Court has ruled that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has left the placement and performance of the State song to the discretion of State governments when it is played along with the national song and the national anthem at the start of official events. A First Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan dismissed a public interest litigation petition as infructuous, observing that the Ministry's revised circular dated July 9, 2026 gives State governments that discretion. The Bench also noted that, following the Centre's revised circular, the Tamil Nadu Government issued a Government Order reaffirming its instructions on the order in which the State song should be played. The ruling affirms Tamil Nadu's precedence for Tamil Thai Vazhthu in such official proceedings.