Murthy didn't dishonour National Anthem: HC

Infosys' chief mentor NR Narayana Murthy has been cleared of the charges of dishonouring the National Anthem by the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday.

The order was passed by Justice K Bhakthavatsala on a criminal petition filed by Narayana Murthy.

A Kannada rights group, Karnataka Rakshana Vakeelara Vedike, had filed a case against Narayana Murthy in a lower court over his alleged remarks on the singing of the National Anthem. The case was filed before the second additional city metropolitan magistrate in Bangalore, which passed the order on May 26, issuing summons to him.

Narayana Murthy had ordered an instrumental version of the National Anthem to be played at the Infosys campus in Mysore on April 8 and later defended his action saying that having if the Anthem had been sung live it would have embarrassed foreign guests.

The High Court ruled that there had been not been a violation of the National Honours Act. Another case is still pending in a Mysore court.

Murthy's advocate K Venugopal had contended that his client was not guilty of any offence and playing the instrumental version did not amount to any violation.

"The court has quashed the complaint filed against him for alleged offence under Section 3 of the Insult to National Honours Act saying that playing of instrumental music does not amount to an offence," another of Murthy's lawyer Shashi Kiran said.