The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 seeks to extend equal legal protection to the National Song (Vande Mataram) by placing it on par with the National Anthem and penalising intentional disruption of its singing.
News: The Union Home Minister introduced the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the Rajya Sabha.
About
- The Bill seeks to amend the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
- It extends legal protection to the National Song (Vande Mataram), which was not specifically covered under the 1971 Act.
Key Highlights
- Equal Protection: Places the National Song (Vande Mataram) and the National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana) under the same legal protection.
- Offences: Criminalises intentionally preventing or disturbing the singing of the National Anthem or National Song.
- Penalty: Punishable with imprisonment up to 3 years, fine, or both.
- Historical Basis: Refers to Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's Vande Mataram (1875; published in Anandamath in 1882) and Rajendra Prasad's 1950 statement that it should enjoy equal honour with the National Anthem.
Significance
- Provides explicit statutory protection to Vande Mataram.
- Revives the debate on balancing national honour with freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 of the Constitution.