Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Supreme Court Upholds Karnataka State Anthem Rendition Rules
Karnataka has a state anthem called ‘Jayabharata Jananiya Tanujate.’
The state government decided that it should be sung in one specific tune.
It also said the song should last two-and-a-half minutes.
Singer Kikkeri Krishnamurthy disagreed with these rules and challenged them in court.
The Karnataka High Court supported the government’s decision.
Krishnamurthy then appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court refused to change the High Court’s decision.
It said that using the same tune and length helps keep performances uniform.
The Supreme Court declined to interfere with a Karnataka High Court order upholding rules for singing the state anthem.
The rules require ‘Jayabharata Jananiya Tanujate’ to be sung for two-and-a-half minutes.
The anthem must use the tune, or raga, composed by Mysore Ananthaswamy.
Singer Kikkeri Krishnamurthy had challenged the Karnataka government’s September 25, 2022 order.
The court said uniformity in both the raga and duration was necessary for the state anthem.
- Who
- The Supreme Court, the Karnataka High Court, the Karnataka government, and singer Kikkeri Krishnamurthy were involved.
- What
- The Supreme Court declined to overturn rules standardising the tune and duration of Karnataka’s state anthem.
- When
- The government issued the order on September 25, 2022; the Karnataka High Court judgment was dated January 5, 2026. The Supreme Court’s dismissal date is not stated.
- Where
- The case was heard in the Supreme Court in New Delhi and concerned Karnataka’s state anthem.
- Why
- The Supreme Court said uniformity was necessary in the anthem’s raga and duration.
Krishnamurthy’s challenge
Government and court position
Authority to prescribe the tune
Krishnamurthy’s challenge
Kikkeri Krishnamurthy argued that the state could not prescribe the raga in which the anthem should be sung.
Government and court position
The Karnataka High Court held that the state government was competent to prescribe the raga, particularly because the anthem had been composed by an expert.
Effect on rights
Krishnamurthy’s challenge
Krishnamurthy contended that the government’s directive infringed his rights.
Government and court position
The Karnataka High Court rejected that contention, and the Supreme Court found no reason to interfere.
Uniform performance
Krishnamurthy’s challenge
The appeal challenged the government’s standardisation of the anthem’s rendition.
Government and court position
The Supreme Court said uniformity was necessary in both the raga and the duration of the state anthem.
- State anthem
- ‘Jayabharata Jananiya Tanujate,’ also referred to as the ‘Naada Geethe’
- Prescribed duration
- Two-and-a-half minutes
- Prescribed tune
- The tune composed by Mysore Ananthaswamy
- Government order
- Issued on September 25, 2022
- High Court judgment
- The Karnataka High Court judgment was dated January 5, 2026
- Appellant
- Singer Kikkeri Krishnamurthy
- Supreme Court bench
- Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan