The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to make intentional insults to or obstruction of the rendition of the National Song, Vande Mataram, a punishable offence. The Bill was passed by a voice vote amid noisy protests by the Opposition.
The legislation had already been cleared by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. With the approval of both Houses of Parliament, the Bill now awaits the President’s assent before becoming law.
The amendment seeks to extend the same legal protection to Vande Mataram that is currently available to the National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
The Lok Sabha debated the Bill before its passage, but proceedings were repeatedly disrupted by the Opposition.
Defending the Bill, BJP MP Sambit Patra said Parliament had already held an extensive debate on Vande Mataram and that the proposed legislation merely provided it with legal protection.
Patra said that more than seven decades after Independence, the National Song was finally being accorded legal protection. He added that the legislation would ensure that Vande Mataram receives the same respect and legal status as the National Anthem.
Replying to the debate, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the Congress leadership under Jawaharlal Nehru had adopted a truncated version of Vande Mataram due to what he described as politics of appeasement, and argued that the amendment was a necessary course correction.
Rai said Vande Mataram is a matter of national pride and that the legislation would strengthen the vision of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.”
Once the Bill receives the President’s assent, it will become law. Under the amended legislation, any deliberate insult to or intentional obstruction of the singing of Vande Mataram will become a punishable offence, attracting legal action.
(With IANS inputs)
