2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 19, 2026 09:58 PM IST
The Centre intends to bring a bill in the Rajya Sabha to make any obstruction or insult to the national song Vande Mataram a criminal offence on Monday, the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, has been listed in the agenda of the Rajya Sabha for Monday, with Home Minister Amit Shah set to introduce the bill.
The bill will amend the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, which makes desecration of or disrespect toward the country’s national symbols including the national flag, the Constitution, and the national anthem a criminal offence, carrying a punishment of up to three years’ imprisonment.
The bill seeks to give ‘Vande Mataram’, the national song, the same statutory protection as the national anthem, ‘Jana Gana Mana’.
According to its statement of objectives, presently, there is no specific legal provision to prevent insults to the singing of Vande Mataram, which is honoured as the National Song.
“Therefore, in order to prohibit any person from intentionally preventing the singing of the National Song (Vande Mataram) or causing disturbance to any assembly engaged in such singing, it is proposed to amend section 3 of the said Act to include the National Song also within its ambit, so as to make such acts punishable” the objectives state.