'Lions appear ferocious, aggressive': plea in SC against state emblem atop Central Vista

New Delhi, July 22

Amid the ongoing row on "angry lions" emblem cast atop the new Parliament building, a plea has been moved in the Supreme Court against the visible change made in the description and design of the state emblem of India.

The plea, moved by two advocates Aldanish Rein and Ramesh Kumar Mishra, urged the top court to issue a direction to the Central government to correct the state emblem of India, recently installed at the top of the Centra Vista project at New Delhi, which is going to house the Parliament House and Central Secretariat, in accordance with the state Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005.

The plea said the newly-installed state emblem of India at the top of Central Vista project has a visible difference in the design of lions which depicts a changed composure of the lions than that of the symbol preserved in the Sarnath museum.

"The lions of the new installed emblem appear to be ferocious and aggressive with their mouth open and canines visible, while the lions of the state emblem preserved in the Sarnath museum, which has been used as official seal so far in all respects, are calm and composed," it said.

The plea submitted that the Sarnath lion capital of Asoka was adopted as the state emblem of India due to its philosophical and spiritual meaning. It added that the state Emblem of India is not just a graphic design but also has entrenched cultural and philosophical significance which ought not have been altered unmindfully and illegally. "The respondent, by effecting a visible change in the design of the national emblem, has manifested gross arbitrariness in violating the sanctity of the state emblem," said the plea.