The Supreme Court Tuesday rejected a petition seeking a review of its May 13 judgment that the national anthem was an immortal classic and therefore not subject to any change.

The apex court had in May dismissed a petition filed by Sanjeev Bhatnagar seeking the deletion of the word "Sindh" from the anthem on the ground that it had become a part of the territory of Pakistan.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti and judge P.K. Balasubramanyan Tuesday dismissed the review petition, observing that it had no merit.

In May the court had described Bhatnagar's petition as a "publicity interest litigation" and imposed a fine of Rs.10,000 on him for wasting the time of the court.

The court had then said: "National anthem is the representative of the ethos of the country. Any classic, once created, becomes immortal and inalienable; even its creator may not like making changes into it.

"Any tampering with the script of the poem would be showing disrespect to the great poet Rabindranath Tagore (who composed the anthem)."

The court had said a national anthem was a hymn or song expressing patriotic sentiments or feelings.

"It is not a chronicle which defines the territory of the nation which has adopted the anthem. The national anthem does not enlist the states or regional areas, which were part of India at the point of time when Tagore wrote the anthem," it had said.

The court said the hue and cry raised over the issue by Bhatnagar did not amount to the raising of any constitutional issue nor did it refer to any breach of his fundamental right.

It was of the view that the petition was devoid of merit and should never have been filed in the guise of a public interest litigation.