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The third additional district magistrate's court in Tirupati has directed the District Superintendent of Police T V Sashidhar Reddy to conduct an inquiry into allegations that tennis star Sania Mirza had shown disrespect to the national flag.
Magistrate S Satyanarayana on Thursday asked the SP to verify the facts in the case and submit the report to the court before March 18.
The direction was given in response to a petition filed against Sania in the Tirupati court on January 6 by two advocates -- Samanchi Srinivas and K Ramesh.
The case was filed under Section II of Prevention of Insult to the National Honour Act. Offenders under the act are liable for an imprisonment of three years.
The allegation against Sania was that, resting in a tennis court-side box, she put her feet up near the Indian tricolour while watching her doubles partner Rohan Bopanna playing Peter Luczac of Australia during the sixth session of the Hopman Cup in Perth on the New Year Day.
A Telugu daily carried the picture of Sania outstretching her legs towards the national flag. The case was filed based on the media reports and pictures on the incident.