People will have to be cautious in movie halls when national anthem is sung: Abu Azmi

Responding to the Supreme Court's decision to play the national anthem before the screening of films, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi on Wednesday said that people will henceforth have to be cautious when they visit a movie hall.

"If the Supreme Court has given the order, then we have to obey it. If people watch a movie, then they somewhere insult the national anthem, but now people will have to be cautious in the movie hall," he said.

"I want that our national anthem to be respected, I just fear that there are different kinds of people who can insult it," he added

Earlier, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the Supreme Court' decision to play the national anthem before the screening of films, saying that these symbols of the constitution must be respected.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the playing of the national anthem on cinema screens and displaying of the national flag mandatory before the beginning of any movie.

The court stressed that everyone should rise for the anthem, with the national flag on the screen, because citizens "are duty-bound to show respect to the national anthem which is the symbol of constitutional patriotism."

The apex court stated that all people present in the movie must rise and pay respect to the anthem. The next hearing will take place on February 14.