PART I — GENERAL

The Flag Code of India, 2002, issued by the Government of India and coming into effect on January 26, 2002, consolidates laws, conventions, practices, and instructions governing the display and handling of the National Flag. It divides the Code into three parts: Part I provides a general description of the National Flag; Part II covers hoisting, display, and use by the public, private organizations, educational institutions, and other non-governmental bodies; Part III details display guidelines for Central and State governments and their organizations and agencies. The Code supersedes the earlier Flag Code - India. The National Flag represents the hopes and aspirations of the Indian people and stands as a symbol of national pride. Over several decades, many people, including armed forces personnel, have sacrificed their lives to keep the tricolour flying in its full glory. There is broad affection, loyalty, and respect for the Flag, but there is often a lack of awareness about the laws, practices, and conventions governing its display. The Code thus codifies and clarifies these rules for guidance and compliance.

PART I — GENERAL (detailed)

1.1 Structure and design of the National Flag. The National Flag is a tri-colour panel consisting of three equal-width rectangular panels. The top panel is India saffron (Kesari), the bottom panel is India green, and the middle panel is white. At the center of the white panel is the Ashoka Chakra in navy blue with 24 equally spaced spokes. The Ashoka Chakra should be clearly visible on both sides of the Flag and may be screen printed, printed, stenciled, or suitably embroidered.

1.2 Material. The National Flag shall be made of hand spun and hand woven khadi bunting, comprising wool, cotton, or silk.

1.3 Shape and proportion. The Flag is rectangular, with a length-to-height ratio of rac{L}{H} = rac{3}{2}.

1.4 Standard sizes. The Flag is produced in several standard sizes (dimensions in millimetres):

• Size 1: $6300 imes 4200$
• Size 2: $3600 imes 2400$
• Size 3: $2700 imes 1800$
• Size 4: $1800 imes 1200$
• Size 5: $1350 imes 900$
• Size 6: $900 imes 600$
• Size 7: $450 imes 300$
• Size 8: $225 imes 150$
• Size 9: $150 imes 100$
  (Note: there appears to be a typographical error in the original listing around Size 6; the intended sequence includes the 900×600 size as the next entry after 1350×900.)

1.5 Display sizes for specific uses. Appropriate flag sizes are recommended for particular display contexts: 450×300 mm for aircraft on VVIP flights, 225×150 mm for motor-cars, and 150×100 mm for table flags.

PART II — HOISTING/DISPLAY/USE OF NATIONAL FLAG BY MEMBERS OF PUBLIC, PRIVATE ORGANISATIONS, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, ETC.

SECTION I

2.1 Public display rights. There shall be no restriction on the display of the National Flag by members of the general public, private organizations, educational institutions, etc., except as provided in the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950, and related guidance under the same Act. The Emblems and Names Act controls improper use of emblems, seals, flags, insignia, and related items.

2.2 Emblem definition. For the purposes of this Act, an emblem includes any emblem, seal, flag, insignia, coat-of-arms, or pictorial representation specified in the Schedule to the Act.

2.3 Restrictions on use of emblems and trade marks. Notwithstanding other laws, no person shall use for trade, business, calling or profession, or in the title of any patent or in any trademark, any name or emblem specified in the Schedule or any colourable imitation thereof without prior permission of the Central Government or an authorised officer. The Indian National Flag is specified as an emblem in the Schedule to the Act.

NOTE: The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, and related laws also apply to the Flag and its display. Keeping in view those provisions—

• (i) the Flag shall not be used for commercial purposes in violation of the Emblems and Names Act; (ii) the Flag shall not be dipped in salute to any person or thing.

SECTION II

The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 (Section 2). Whoever, in a public place or any place within public view, burns, mutilates, defaces, disfigures, destroys, tramples upon, or otherwise brings into contempt the Indian National Flag or any part thereof shall be punished with imprisonment for up to three years, or with fine, or with both. Explanations clarify that lawful expressions of disapprobation or criticism of the Flag or government measures, carried out by lawful means, do not constitute an offence. The term “Indian National Flag” includes visible representations of the Flag or any part thereof, made of any substance or represented on any substance. A “public place” means any place intended for public use or accessible to the public, including public conveyances.

SECTION III

Additional prohibitions and clarifications. The following prohibitions apply: the Flag shall not be used at half-mast except as allowed by official instructions; it shall not be used as drapery or as part of a costume, nor embroidered or printed on cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, or any dress material; lettering shall not be placed on the Flag; it shall not serve as a receptacle for receiving, delivering, holding, or carrying anything; however, keeping flower petals inside the Flag before unfurling for celebrations on special occasions and National Days is not objectionable. The Flag shall not be used to cover a statue or monument during unveiling, nor shall it cover a speaker’s desk or be draped over a speaker’s platform; it shall not touch the ground or trail in water, and it shall not be draped over vehicle hoods or structures or used to cover buildings. The saffron band must not be displayed “down.”

SECTION IV

Display conditions for general use. A member of the public, a private organization, or an educational institution may hoist/display the National Flag on all days and occasions, ceremonial or otherwise. When displayed, it should occupy the position of honour and be distinctly placed; a damaged or disheveled Flag should not be displayed; the Flag should not be flown from a single masthead along with any other flag(s); it should not be flown on a vehicle except per Part III, Section IX rules; on a speaker’s platform the Flag should be on the speaker’s right as he faces the audience or flat against a wall above and behind the speaker; when displayed flat on a wall, the saffron band should be uppermost, and when displayed vertically, the saffron band should be on the right with reference to the Flag and to the person facing the Flag; as far as possible the Flag should conform to the specifications in Part I; no other flag or bunting should be placed higher than or beside the National Flag, nor should objects (including flowers, garlands or emblems) be placed on or above the Flag-mast; paper Flags may be waved for occasions of national importance, but such Flags should not be discarded on the ground after the event and should be disposed of privately in a manner consistent with the Flag’s dignity; when displayed in open space it should preferably be flown from sunrise to sunset; the Flag should not be displayed or fastened in a way that damages it; and when the Flag is damaged or soiled, it should be destroyed as a whole in private, preferably by burning or by another method consistent with the Flag’s dignity.

SECTION V

Educational display (schools, colleges, camps, etc.). The National Flag may be hoisted in educational institutions to inspire respect for the Flag. A model set of instructions is given for guidance: assembly in open square formation with pupils forming three sides and the Flag-staff at the center; the Headmaster, pupil leader, and unfurling person stand three paces behind the Flag-staff; pupils sorted by class occupy rows and squads; class leaders and form masters position themselves relative to the rows; distance guidelines are provided (at least one pace between rows, same between Form and Form); the Class leader steps forward to salute the selected pupil leader; the Headmaster salutes; the Flag is unfurled; the School pupil leader calls the parade to attention and to salute when the Flag flies out; after the salute, the National Anthem is sung in which the parade stands at attention; the pledge is taken after the Anthem with the Headmaster administering it ceremoniously; the pledge text used in schools is: “I pledge allegiance to the National Flag and to the Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic for which it stands.”

PART III — HOISTING/DISPLAY OF THE NATIONAL FLAG BY THE CENTRAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS AND THEIR ORGANISATIONS AND AGENCIES

SECTION I

Defence installations and Heads of Missions/Posts. The Part does not apply to Defence Installations that have their own display rules. The Flag may be flown at the Headquarters and residences of Heads of Missions/Posts abroad in countries where it is customary for diplomatic representations to fly their national flags at headquarters and official residences.

SECTION II

Official display. It is mandatory for all Governments and their organizations/agencies to follow the provisions of this Part, subject to Section I. On all official displays, only Flags conforming to Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications and bearing the BIS standard mark should be used. It is desirable that even on other occasions only Flags of the appropriate size are flown.

SECTION III

Correct display. Wherever the Flag is flown, it should occupy the position of honour and be distinctly placed. When flown on public buildings, it should be displayed on such buildings on all days, including Sundays and holidays, and it should be flown from sunrise to sunset, irrespective of weather, with a night display allowed only on very special occasions. The Flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered slowly and ceremoniously, ideally with bugle calls synchronized to hoisting/lowering. When displayed from a staff projecting horizontally or at an angle from a window, balcony, or front of a building, the saffron band shall be at the farther end of the staff. When displayed flat and horizontal on a wall, the saffron band shall be uppermost; when displayed vertically, the saffron band shall be to the right from the perspective of a person facing the Flag. On occasions like unveiling a statue, the Flag should be displayed distinctly and separately. When used on a motor car, the Flag shall be flown from a staff fixed firmly either at the middle front of the bonnet or at the front right side of the car.

SECTION IV

Incorrect display. A damaged or disheveled Flag shall not be displayed. The Flag shall not be dipped in salute to any person or thing. No other flag or bunting shall be placed higher than or, except as provided, side by side with the National Flag; nor shall any object including flowers or garlands be placed on or above the Flag-mast. The Flag shall not be used as a festoon, rosette, or bunting, or for decoration of any sort. The Flag shall not be used to cover a speaker’s desk or draped over a speaker’s platform. The Flag shall not be displayed with the saffron band displayed “down.” The above restrictions apply to damaged Flag handling and display.

SECTION V

Misuse. The Flag shall not be used as a drapery except for State, Military, or Central Para-military Forces funerals; it shall not be draped over the hood, top, sides, or back of a vehicle, train, or boat; it shall not be used or stored in a manner that damages or soils it; when damaged or soiled, it shall be destroyed as a whole in private; it shall not be used as a covering for a building or as part of a costume or uniform; it shall not be embroidered or printed on cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, or boxes; lettering shall not be put on the Flag; it shall not be used for any form of advertisement and no advertising sign should be fastened to the pole from which the Flag is flown; there is an exception allowing flower petals to be kept inside the Flag before unfurling on special occasions and national days.

SECTION VI

Salute. During hoisting or lowering, or when the Flag passes in a parade or review, all persons present should face the Flag and stand at attention; those in uniform should render the proper salute. When a Flag passes in a moving column, spectators stand at attention or salute as it passes. A dignitary may take the salute without head dress.

SECTION VII

Display with flags of other nations and the United Nations. When displayed in a straight line with flags of other countries, the National Flag should be on the extreme right from the observer’s perspective facing the audience. Flags of foreign countries should proceed in alphabetical order by their English names. It is permissible to begin and end the row with the National Flag and to include the National Flag in the normal alphabetical sequence. If the flags are to be flown in an open circle (arc or semicircle), the same order applies, with the National Flag marking the beginning of the circle and the other countries proceeding in order until the last flag is placed next to the National Flag. In a closed circle, the National Flag marks the beginning, and other flags proceed clockwise until the last flag is placed next to the National Flag. The National Flag should be included in its alphabetical order within the circle.

SECTION VIII

Display over public buildings / official residences. Normally, the National Flag should be flown on important public buildings (such as High Courts, Secretariats, Commissioners’ Offices, jails, district boards, municipalities, zilla parishads, and Departmental/Public Sector Undertakings). It may be flown at border posts in frontier areas and in camp sites of border patrols where it carries special significance. The Flag should be flown on the official residences of the President, Vice-President, Governors, and Lieutenant Governors when they are at Headquarters, and on the building they stay on their visits outside the Headquarters; the Flag on such residences should be brought down when the dignitary leaves the Headquarters and re-hoisted on re-entry. It should be flown from sunrise to sunset on such official residences on Republic Day, Independence Day, Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday, National Week (April 6–13), or any other national day specified by the Government of India, or in the case of a State, on the anniversary of formation of that State. When the President, Vice-President, or Prime Minister visits an institution, the Flag may be flown as a mark of respect. On visits to India by foreign dignitaries (President, Vice-President, Emperor/King or Heir Prince, Prime Minister), the Flag may be flown alongside the foreign flag in accordance with the rules in Section VII by private institutions hosting the dignitaries or public buildings the dignitaries plan to visit.

SECTION IX

Display on motor cars. The privilege of flying the National Flag on motor cars is limited to the following: (1) President; (2) Vice-President; (3) Governors and Lieutenant Governors; (4) Heads of Indian Missions/Posts abroad; (5) Prime Minister and other Cabinet Ministers; Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers of the Union; Chief Minister and other Cabinet Ministers of a State or Union Territory; Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers of a State or Union Territory; (6) Speaker of the Lok Sabha; Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha; Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha; Chairmen of Legislative Councils in States; Speakers of Legislative Assemblies in States and Union Territories; Deputy Chairmen of Legislative Councils in States; Deputy Speakers of Legislative Assemblies in States and Union Territories. The dignitaries listed in (5) to (7) may fly the National Flag on their cars whenever they consider it necessary or advisable. If a foreign dignitary travels in a government-provided car, the National Flag will be flown on the right side and the flag of the foreign country on the left.

SECTION X

Display on trains / aircraft. When the President travels by special train within the country, the National Flag should be flown from the driver’s cab on the side facing the platform, only when the train is stationary or entering the station where it will halt. The National Flag will be flown on the aircraft carrying the President, Vice-President, or Prime Minister on a foreign visit; alongside the National Flag, the flag of the country visited should also be flown, and when landing en route, the national flags of the countries touched may be flown in place of the country visited as a gesture of courtesy. When the President goes on tour within India, the National Flag will be displayed on the side from which the President will embark or disembark.

SECTION XI

Half-masting. The National Flag shall be half-masted on the deaths of designated dignitaries at the places indicated in the Code: President (throughout India), Vice-President (Delhi), Prime Minister (throughout India), Speaker of the Lok Sabha (Delhi), Chief Justice of India (Union), etc.; other officials follow state-specific guidelines. If the written notice of death arrives in the afternoon, half-mast continues on the following day at the indicated places if the funeral has not taken place before sunrise. On the funeral day, the Flag is half-masted at the funeral location. If State mourning is observed, the Flag is half-masted for the duration of mourning in the Union or State/UT as applicable. For foreign dignitaries, half-masting is governed by special instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs. If a half-mast day coincides with Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti, or National Week, the Flag should not be flown at half-mast except at the building where the body lies until removal. If mourning is observed in a parade, two black crepe streamers may be attached to the spearhead. When flown at half-mast, the Flag should be raised to the peak momentarily and then lowered to half-mast, and before the day ends, it should be raised again to the peak. The half-mast definition is: hauling the Flag down to one-half the distance between the top and the halyard (or, in the absence of a halyard, one-half of the Staff).

Note on half-mast procedures for state/funerary occasions. For State/Military/Central Para-military Forces funerals, the Flag is draped over the bier with saffron towards the head; it is not lowered into the grave nor burnt on a pyre. In the event of the death of a foreign Head of State or Head of Government, Indian Missions may fly the National Flag at half-mast even if the death coincides with Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti, National Week, or the formation anniversary of a State; for the death of other dignitaries of that country, Missions should follow local practice or protocol, which may require flight of the National Flag of the Foreign Mission at half-mast, subject to guidance from the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps as necessary.

Connections to foundational principles and real-world relevance

• The Flag Code codifies reverence for national symbols, aligning with democratic norms of public respect, non-commercialization, and non-disparagement of national symbols.
• It balances ceremonial dignity with practical needs (e.g., use of flags on uniforms, vehicles, trains, and aircraft) while clearly delineating rights of display for the public, educational institutions, and private organizations.
• The inclusion of half-mast rules reflects both national mourning practices and international norms, with explicit guidance on when and how to alter display in response to dignitary deaths or state mourning.
• The explicit orientation rules (saffron position, right-side display on walls or platforms, order when multiple flags are displayed) support consistency and reduce ambiguity during official ceremonies and public events.
• The emphasis on BIS certification for official use and the Emblems and Names Act underscores the legal framework protecting the Flag from misuse and the commercial exploitation of national emblems.

Ethical, philosophical, and practical implications

• The Code promotes national unity and dignity by prescribing uniform conduct during display, which helps cultivate a shared civic ritual around national symbols.
• By restricting commercial use and misleading representations, it seeks to prevent commodification or desecration of the Flag and protects it from trivialization.
• The rules on half-mast and mourning reflect a collective, state-led process for expressing solemnity and respect, balancing symbolic action with administrative clarity.
• The specific placement rules during ceremonies (position of honour, right-side display for speakers) reinforce the Flag’s central symbolic status in public life and governance.

Numerical references and formulas (LaTeX)

• Flag ratio: rac{L}{H} = rac{3}{2}
• Ashoka Chakra: $24$ spokes
• Flag dimensions (examples): $6300 ext{ mm} imes 4200 ext{ mm}$, $3600 ext{ mm} imes 2400 ext{ mm}$, $2700 ext{ mm} imes 1800 ext{ mm}$, $1800 ext{ mm} imes 1200 ext{ mm}$, $1350 ext{ mm} imes 900 ext{ mm}$, $900 ext{ mm} imes 600 ext{ mm}$, $450 ext{ mm} imes 300 ext{ mm}$, $225 ext{ mm} imes 150 ext{ mm}$, $150 ext{ mm} imes 100 ext{ mm}$
• Pledge in school guidance: the exact text is provided in the transcript: "I pledge allegiance to the National Flag and to the Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic for which it stands."}