Insulting Vande Mataram may soon attract jail term, bill headed to Parliament
The proposed Vande Mataram protection Bill is scheduled to be introduced in Parliament's Monsoon Session. Image Credit: Wikimedia
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet, chaired by the prime minister, Narendra Modi, had cleared the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in May. The Lok Sabha secretariat has now listed the bill for introduction, consideration and passing during the Monsoon Session, which begins July 20.
The bill seeks to amend the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, which currently protects the national flag, the Constitution and the national anthem. Under the existing law, intentionally disrupting the singing of the national anthem carries a penalty of up to three years in prison, a fine, or both.
The amendment would extend the same protection to the national song. It would make it an offence to intentionally insult Vande Mataram, or to deliberately obstruct or disturb its singing, with an identical penalty. The bill is not yet law. It must be passed by both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, and receive the president’s assent, before taking effect.
The government has linked the move to the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and first published in his 1882 novel Anandmath. The home ministry separately issued guidelines in February governing when and how the song must be rendered at official events.
