Rajya Sabha to take up ‘The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026’ today

The Rajya Sabha is scheduled to introduce, consider and pass the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 on July 24, a proposed legislation that seeks to extend statutory protection to the National Song, 'Vande Mataram'.

The Bill amends the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, which currently penalises acts of disrespect towards the National Flag, the Constitution and the National Anthem.

The amendment aims to close a long-standing legal gap by explicitly bringing 'Vande Mataram' within the ambit of the law.

One of the key provisions of the Bill is the substitution of Section 3 of the 1971 Act, placing the National Song under the same legal protection as the National Anthem.

It proposes to make it a criminal offence for any person to intentionally prevent the singing of either the National Anthem or the National Song, or to disrupt an assembly engaged in such singing.

Violators could face imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both.

The proposed legislation also invokes the January 24, 1950, statement of Constituent Assembly President Dr Rajendra Prasad, who had said that 'Vande Mataram' should be honoured equally with 'Jana Gana Mana'.

It also acknowledges the historical significance of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's composition, first written in 1875 and later published in his novel ‘Anandamath’ in 1882, as a rallying cry during India's freedom movement.

If passed, the amendment would provide explicit legal protection to 'Vande Mataram', placing it on par with the National Anthem under the 1971 Act. However, the move is also expected to reignite debate over the balance between safeguarding national honour and protecting the freedom of expression guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution, with critics arguing that patriotism should remain voluntary rather than legally enforced.