New Delhi, Nov. 22 (PTI): Delhi High Court today banned the use of the national symbol, Ashok Chakra, in the hologram of any private company as it amounted to violation of law.

A bench of acting Chief Justice Devinder Gupta and Justice A.K. Sikri passed the order on a public interest litigation seeking to restrain private companies from using national symbols for commercial gain.

The PIL alleged that a private company — Utsav Safety System Limited — given the contract for manufacturing number plates of vehicles, has been using the Ashok Chakra symbol in its hologram in violation of the provisions of the Emblems Act, Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act and the Flag Code.

“No hologram of any of the companies, including Utsav, shall contain the Ashok Chakra,” the court said in its judgment.

Pointing out that Utsav had been granted permission to use only the “chakra” in its hologram and not the Ashok Chakra, the bench asked the Centre to investigate whether the certificate to the company was given by Pune-based Automative Research Association of India as per the government’s notification.

“The matter would be looked into keeping in view that as per sample and drawings submitted by the company, chakra was approved in the October 16 notification,” the court said.

Utsav will install the new plates from March next year, the court was informed. The Automative Research Association was directed by the court to ascertain if the approval certificate granted by it to Utsav was in conformity with the samples and drawings submitted by the company.