Flag Code of India

Part II of the code pertains to the display of the national flag by members of public, private organisations, educational institutions, etc.

Part III of the code pertains to the display of the national flag by union and state governments and their organisations and agencies.

The Flag Code of India, 2002, is an attempt to bring together all such laws, conventions, practices and instructions for the guidance and benefit of all concerned.

The middle panel shall be white, bearing at its centre the design of Ashoka Chakra in navy blue colour with 24 equally spaced spokes.

This type of weaving is extremely rare, and there are fewer than twenty weavers in India professing this skill.

[7][8][9][10] The Flag made of paper may be waved by public on occasions of important national, cultural and sports events.

The flag should never be used as a cloth to cover tables, lecterns, podiums or buildings, or be draped from railings.

[1] Whenever the flag is displayed indoors in halls at public meetings or gatherings of any kind, it should always be on the right (observers' left), as this is the position of authority.

If hung vertically on the wall behind the podium, the saffron stripe should be to the left of the onlookers facing the flag with the hoist cord at the top.

The flag may form a distinctive feature of the unveiling of a statue, monument, or plaque, but should never be used as the covering for the object.

[7] The flag should be flown on the aircraft carrying these constitutional officeholders; President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India and Lok Sabha Speaker on a visit to a foreign country.

Note: If a death coincides with Republic Day (26 January), Independence Day (15 August), Gandhi Jayanti (2 October) or states' foundation anniversaries, the flag should not be flown half-mast except over buildings housing the body of the deceased dignitary.

Observances of state mourning on the death of foreign dignitaries are governed by special instructions issued from the Ministry of Home Affairs in individual cases.

[1] The bench headed by Chief Justice of India V. N. Khare said that under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India, citizens had the fundamental right to fly the national flag on their premises throughout the year, provided the premises do not undermine the dignity of the national flag.