Delhi HC junks PIL looking for to restrain Prasar Bharati from calling BCCI’s cricket squad as ‘crew India’

New Delhi: The Delhi Excessive Court docket on Wednesday dismissed a PIL looking for to restrain public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, which operates Doordarshan and All India Radio, from referring to the BCCI's cricket crew as “crew India” because it violates legal guidelines governing using nationwide symbols.

A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, termed the general public curiosity litigation (PIL), filed by advocate Reepak Kansal, “sheer wastage of time”.

The plea argued that calling the Board of Management for Cricket in India (BCCI) “crew India” or the “Indian nationwide cricket crew” misleads the general public and violates legal guidelines governing using nationwide symbols.
It claimed that being a personal entity, the BCCI shouldn't be known as “crew India”, “particularly when there is no such thing as a sanction from the federal government of India”.

“That is sheer wastage of courtroom's time and your time… What is that this argument? Are you saying that the crew doesn't signify India? The crew which goes and enjoying in all places, they're misrepresenting? Neglect concerning the BCCI, if Doordarshan or another authority tasks it as crew India, is it not crew India?” the bench requested.

The bench additionally identified how any personal particular person right this moment is just not prohibited from hoisting the nationwide flag of their home.”Are you conscious how the complete ecosystem in sports activities globally capabilities? Are you conscious of the principles of Worldwide Olympic Committee, which say that there shouldn't be any interference by any State? In keeping with you, if the federal government officers in sports activities choose crew, solely then it would signify India.”Are you conscious of Olympic constitution or Olympic motion? Are you conscious that previously, every time authorities intervention was there, the federation of sports activities, Indian Olympic Committee have come down very closely?” it requested.

The petition acknowledged that the BCCI is a personal society and is neither recognised as a Nationwide Sports activities Federation nor as a “public authority” underneath Part 2(h) of the RTI Act.

It claimed that referring to the BCCI's crew as “crew India” quantities to misrepresentation and will probably violate the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, and the Flag Code of India, which regulate using the nationwide title, flag and symbols.