The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking to bar government-funded broadcaster Prasar Bharati (which operates Doordarshan and All India Radio) from referring to the BCCI cricket team as “Team India” or the “Indian National Team.”
A bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela sharply criticized the filing, terming the petition by advocate Reepak Kansal a “complete wastage of the court’s time.”
Petition’s Core Argument
The petition contended that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is a private body registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act. Kansal argued that Prasar Bharati’s practice of projecting a private team as the Indian National Team was a misrepresentation that implicitly conferred national status and gave the BCCI an undue commercial advantage.
The plea also argued that the BCCI’s use of the national name, flag, and symbols during its events and the subsequent broadcast by Doordarshan and All India Radio potentially violated the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950, and the Flag Code of India, 2002.
Court’s Firm Rejection
The Court unequivocally rejected the arguments, stating that the use of the Indian flag by the team and its telecast by public broadcasters did not constitute a violation of any law.
The bench questioned the petitioner directly, highlighting the absurdity of the claim:
- “Are you saying the team does not represent India? This (BCCI’s) team, which is going everywhere and representing India, you are saying that they don’t represent India? Is it not Team India?“
- The court also stressed that in today’s context, any private person is permitted to unfurl the national flag.
Ultimately, the judges advised the petitioner to file “better Public Interest Litigations (PILs),” concluding that the current plea was a sheer waste of judicial time.