The question is a religious one, namely, the right of individuals to maintain their freedom of worship. The fact is, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not sing the national anthem of any country. Such anthems are, in effect, hymns or prayers set to music, and Jehovah’s Witnesses conscientiously object to singing them. “They desist from actual singing,” the Indian Supreme Court judgment understandingly explained, “because of their honest belief and conviction that their religion does not permit them to join any rituals except it be in their prayers to Jehovah their God.”

Interestingly, the Indian national anthem is only in the language of one state, and so it is not understood by the majority of Indians who sing it. Thus, for the majority, singing the national anthem is probably meaningless and constitutes, basically, an empty ritual. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not join in such rituals. They pray only to their God, Jehovah.