Vande Mataram: Rajya Sabha Passes Bill to Give National Song Same Legal Protection as National Anthem
Rajya Sabha passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, seeking to extend statutory protection to the national song, Vande Mataram, by making its intentional insult or obstruction a punishable offence under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
The Bill seeks to place Vande Mataram on the same legal footing as the National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, by extending to it the existing penal provisions of the 1971 Act.
At present, the Act penalises intentional prevention of the singing of the National Anthem and causing disturbance to an assembly engaged in its singing. The amendment proposes to apply the same provisions to the national song.
If enacted, any person found intentionally preventing the singing of Vande Mataram or causing disturbance to an assembly engaged in its rendition could face imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both. For a second and every subsequent conviction, the Act prescribes a minimum sentence of one year.
The Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha last week and was taken up for consideration and passage during the Monsoon Session. With the Upper House approving the legislation, it now moves to the next stage of the legislative process before it can become law.
Why was the amendment proposed?
The Statement of Objects and Reasons accompanying the Bill notes that while the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, provides statutory protection to national symbols such as the National Flag, the Constitution and the National Anthem, it does not specifically extend similar protection to the national song.
The proposed amendment seeks to address this legislative gap by bringing Vande Mataram within the ambit of the Act. According to the government, the move is intended to ensure that the national song receives the same legal protection and respect as the National Anthem.
What changes under the Bill?
The amendment inserts references to the national song in the relevant provisions of the 1971 Act. Consequently, actions that are presently offences only in relation to the National Anthem, such as intentionally obstructing its singing or disrupting an assembly engaged in singing it, would also become offences when committed in relation to Vande Mataram.
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The Bill does not alter the existing punishment framework under the Act. Instead, it extends the same statutory safeguards and penalties already applicable to the National Anthem to the national song.
The legislation forms part of the government's broader effort to accord greater legal recognition to Vande Mataram, which has long held a special place in India's freedom movement and national heritage. Supporters of the measure argue that it fills a long-standing omission in the law by granting the national song explicit statutory protection.