THE sporty and the fashionable are at last free to wear the Indian flag on their clothing – but not below the belt, where it could offend national honour.

A federal ruling easing the Prevention of Insults to National Honours Act allows Indians to wear images of their flags on their garments provided they do not show disrespect.

So an image of the green, white and saffron tricolour with a spinning wheel at its centre can appear on a baseball cap or a T-shirt — but not on a strappy dress or on underwear.

Embroidering or printing the flag on cushions, gloves, handkerchiefs or napkins also remains forbidden.

The Act had previously been strict in limiting the use and display of the flag.

Only senior government leaders and state institutions were allowed to fly it on their premises; ordinary people were allowed to fly their flags or wear tricolour badges only on Republic Day, Independence Day and Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.

The fight to ease the restrictions was started ten years ago by a Congress MP who filed a case demanding that all Indians be allowed ownership of their national flag provided they treated it with respect.

The court ruled in his favour in 2001 but in February the Home Ministry issued a decree banning cricketers and other competitors from displaying the flag on their kit.

This included the helmet of Sachin Tendulkar, the leading batsman, or the flag-coloured batting gloves of Sourav Ganguly, the captain.

The amendment not only safeguards their right to wear their flag but may also come to the rescue of those in the fashion industry who have previously fallen foul of the rules.

Malini Ramani, a popular fashion designer, had an inadvertent run-in with the law when she appeared at a fashion show dressed in a tight, strappy, knee-length dress bearing the stripes and the wheel of the tricolour. Her appearance sparked a national debate and led to police action.

A case against her is progressing through the courts. She said that she hoped that the new ruling would mean the case against her would be dropped, arguing that her gesture had been patriotic, not disrespectful.

“It was not made from an actual flag,” she said. “I just wanted to promote India at the show. There was no disrespect.”

Hindu symbols — not covered by the law — have also caused problems. American and British clothing companies have been pressured to stop producing garments such as trainers decorated with the Hindu letter “om” and bikinis featuring Hindu deities.

One designer, Nikhil Mehra, said that he welcomed the new ruling but doubted that it would have far-reaching implications for the fashion industry.

“We Indians are very patriotic by nature and after 57 years of independence, it is only fair that we be allowed to express our patriotism,” he told the BBC.

But he also said that saffron and green were not suited to Indian skin tones, while white — the colour of death, worn mostly by widows — was unlikely to catch on.

“The flag colours are very mature and sombre, unlike, say, the British or American flag colours. These are very sporty and look good on almost any person. People don’t mind wearing them.

“But our national colours don’t represent fashion.”

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