Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Monday agreed to consider, on the administrative side, a plea to display the national emblem of India on the main dome of the Supreme Court, even as the court declined to hear the issue within its jurisdiction.
A bench comprising CJI Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi observed that the matter falls squarely within the administrative domain of the Chief Justice and the judges accompanying him, and does not require a writ.
“Do not file such petitions. Such a case can be considered on the administrative side. You can write to the CJI on the administrative side,” the bench told the petitioner, Badravada Venugopal, who had pleaded the case personally.
Venugopal told the court that he had earlier written to the ICJ last year, but was informed by the record that the Supreme Court was using its own logo. In response, CJI Kant noted that the previous response predated his tenure. He said: “That was before November 24, 2025… That was also a point of view, but we can look into this matter again,” indicating a willingness to reconsider the issue administratively.
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The court then dismissed the petition, ordering it to be treated as a representation. It requested the Secretary General of the Supreme Court to prepare a memorandum and submit it to the competent authority – the Chief Justice of India. The court noted in its order that “the issue needs to be dealt with on the administrative side.”
The official emblem of the Supreme Court features a statue of the Ashoka lion located below the Ashoka Chakra, with the Sanskrit inscription “Yatu Dharmastatu Jayah” (Where there is dharma, there is victory) inscribed below. The logo, which was adopted on January 26, 1950 – the same day the Supreme Court of India was inaugurated – is an adaptation of the Sarnath Lion Capital logo that represents the probity, justice and authority of India’s highest court. The national emblem, used on currency and government documents, is a slightly different representation depicting four Asiatic lions standing back to back (three visible), mounted on a circular counter featuring carvings of a lion, a bull, a horse and an elephant, with the Ashoka Chakra at the center and the slogan “Satyameva Jayate” (Truth Alone Conquers) inscribed below.
In his petition, Venugopal has sought a direction to the Union government and the Supreme Court administration to ensure “legal and constitutional compliance” in displaying the national emblem on the main architectural feature of the court building – the central dome. The petition argued that in the absence of any architectural or structural provision, appropriate institutional and technical measures should be taken to enable such display in accordance with the Constitution and legal framework governing the use of the state emblem.
The petition also sought time-bound implementation, preferably within eight weeks, in line with the India Country Emblem (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005 and the India Country Emblem (Regulation of Use) Rules, 2007.
