New Delhi. The country's President Draupadi Murmu on Tuesday approved a bill, under which deliberately obstructing or stopping the singing of the national song 'Vande Mataram' will be considered a crime. A statement from the government said that it will get the same legal protection that the national anthem currently enjoys.
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What's in the new law?
The Prevention of Insults to National Honor (Amendment) Bill, 2026, has become law with the assent of the President. The Lok Sabha had passed the bill on July 30, while the Rajya Sabha had approved it a day earlier. Under this bill, Vande Mataram has been given equal status to the national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana'.
The Union Home Ministry said that for the first time in the Independence Day celebrations, Vande Mataram will be sung from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Earlier, the Prevention of Insults to National Honor Act prohibited knowingly preventing the singing of the national anthem (Jana Gana Mana) or causing disturbance to any assembly engaged in such singing.
How many years can the punishment be?
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The maximum punishment for these offenses was three years' imprisonment, a fine or both, while the second and every subsequent conviction was punishable with a minimum of one year's imprisonment. The previous law did not provide equal protection to the national anthem.
What was said in the bill?
The bill said, 'At present there is no specific legal provision to prevent insult to the singing of 'Vande Mataram', even though it has the respect of the national song. Therefore, in order to prevent any person from knowingly singing the national anthem or from disturbing any assembly engaged in such singing, it is proposed to amend section 3 of the said Act to include the national anthem within its scope so as to make such acts punishable.'
The Bill further states that the President of the Constituent Assembly, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, had said on January 24, 1950, that the song 'Vande Mataram' composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, which played a historic role in the Indian freedom struggle, would be given the same respect and equal status as the national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana'.
What instruction was issued by the Union Home Ministry?
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Earlier this year, the Union Home Ministry had directed that when the national anthem and national anthem are played together, all six stanzas of 'Vande Mataram' should be sung first. In an order dated January 28, the Home Ministry issued the first set of protocols for singing the national anthem, directing that its six verses, which have a duration of 3 minutes and 10 seconds, will be sung at official functions such as the arrival of the President, unfurling of the national flag and speeches by governors.