Union Home Minister Amit Shah will table the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Rajya Sabha during Monday’s sitting of the Monsoon Session.
The proposed amendment seeks to place ‘Vande Mataram’ on the same legal footing as ‘Jana Gana Mana’ by extending identical statutory safeguards to the National Song.
The Bill proposes changes to the existing law that would make the intentional insult of, or obstruction to, the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ a punishable offence. Anyone found guilty could face imprisonment for up to three years, a monetary penalty, or both.
The current Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act protects the National Anthem by penalising those who deliberately interrupt or disrespect its rendition.
The proposed amendment extends the same legal protection to Vande Mataram, which India officially recognises as its National Song but does not currently protect under identical legal provisions.
If Parliament passes the Bill, the law will place Vande Mataram under the same statutory framework that protects the National Anthem, the National Flag and the Constitution.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs directed all states on 9 July to play Vande Mataram before Jana Gana Mana whenever both are performed at official government functions.
Parliament will debate the Bill during the ongoing Monsoon Session. If both Houses pass the amendment, the law will impose the same penalties for insulting or disrupting the National Song as those already applicable to the National Anthem.
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