A petition was moved by two lawyers in the Supreme Court claiming that the "ferocious and aggressive lions" atop the new Parliament building under construction amount to undue interference with the State Emblem.
"The State Emblem of India is a mark of identity of the Republic of India. The Republic of India belongs to the people of India, we the Indians. When this identity is unduly interfered with by the government, it hurts the national sentiment of its citizens," advocates Aldanish Rein and Ramesh Kumar Mishra contended.
They argued that the new emblem violates the description and design of State Emblem in Schedule of the State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005.
The petition said the lions in Sarnath, from which the State Emblem was adopted, are "calm and composed". They are not merely a design, but represent the core spiritual philosophies of Lord Buddha.
