Story highlights Supreme Court says Indians "duty bound" to show respect for national anthem

Some Indians have criticized recent trend toward aggressive displays of patriotism

(CNN) Movie theaters across India must play the national anthem before every film, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

The anthem -- "Jana Gana Mana" -- will be accompanied by an image of the Indian flag.

"All present in the (cinema) hall are obliged to stand up to show respect to the national anthem," Justices Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy wrote.

Morning hack-

Keep alarm as #NationalAnthem that way you have to stand. — Aadar Malik (@TheAadarGuy) November 30, 2016

The ruling is in response to a petition filed by Narayan Chouksey, a retired engineer in Bhopal, who asked the court to "specify what would be constituting disrespect and abuse of the national anthem."

Attorneys for Chouksey argued that the anthem was being regularly insulted and called on the court to lay down norms to protect it.