A petition alleging insult to the national flag by the Indian cricket team has been filed at the court of the chief judicial magistrate in Kanpur.

All 15 members of the Indian cricket team have been named in the petition which contends that the team members wrapped the tricolour around themselves, rolled on the ground and doused it with champagne after their T20 World Cup win over Pakistan on September 24 in Johannesburg.
The petition has been filed under the Prevention of insults to National Honour Act, 1971 which holds that whoever burns, mutilates, defaces, defiles, disfigures, destroys, tramples upon or otherwise brings into contempt the Indian National Flag or the Constitution of India, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.

Witnesses
As proof, the petitioners, a group of Kanpur lawyers, has cited television images and newspaper and magazine pictures of the victory celebrations. Named as witnesses to the act are BCCI president Sharad Pawar, BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah, former cricketer Ravi Shastri and film star Shahrukh Khan who had especially flown in to watch the final with his son Aryan.

Vijay Bakshi, counsel for the petitioners said that the acts of the Indian cricket team were an affront to all Indians and that the team members deserved to be punished for the same.

The petition has been admitted and comes up for hearing on October 25.