Suravi Bose, a city resident, has written to the President, Prime Minister and Union home minister, to include Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s name in Schedule 9 of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 by way of an amendment.
She had earlier moved Calcutta high court and the Supreme Court, alleging that several private companies and educational institutions were using Netaji’s name for financial gains. The courts had expressed their helplessness as Netaji doesn’t feature in the list of people whose names can’t be ‘exploited’. The Supreme Court, on December 4, granted her leave to move an appropriate forum.
In the petition to the courts, Bose had prayed for “a writdirection or order, directing concerned authorities to take steps to ban the use of both name and pictorial representation of Netaji by sole proprietorship andor private companies andor partnership firms for their private business purposes and commercial gain.” Her counsel Phiroze Edulji had mentioned that such use is likely to give the impression that Netaji is connected with central or state governments. On July 31, 2015, the high court division bench ob served: “Netaji’s name has not been included in the schedule of the Act and accordingly, the said Act is inapplicable. We observe that it is within the legislative domain of the Union of India to contemplate as to whether his name be incorporated in the schedule under the Emblems Act or not.”
The petitioner then moved the Supreme Court.After the court observed that it could take no steps, Bose’s counsel prayed for leave to approach an appropriate authority . “In accordance to the leave granted by the Supreme Court, I request you take appropriate steps,” Bose has written to the Centre.