India’s Parliament has passed a bill making insults to the national song Vande Mataram a punishable offence, in a measure opposed by parties from the south that described it as an imposition.
The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 cleared the Rajya Sabha on 29 July and the Lok Sabha the following day, the latter amid disruption.
What does the bill do?
It extends the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, which already covers the national flag and the constitution, to bring Vande Mataram within its protection. The song was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and holds the status of national song, distinct from the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana.
Business Standard reported that the Lok Sabha cleared the legislation amid din, with the Rajya Sabha having passed it the previous day.
| Detail | Position |
|---|---|
| Bill | Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 |
| Rajya Sabha | Passed 29 July 2026 |
| Lok Sabha | Passed 30 July 2026 |
| Effect | Insulting Vande Mataram becomes an offence |
What is the Vande Mataram bill?
The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 makes insulting Vande Mataram, India’s national song, a punishable offence. It was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 29 July 2026 and by the Lok Sabha on 30 July 2026. The bill amends existing legislation that already criminalises insults to the national flag and the constitution. Vande Mataram was written in Bengali and Sanskrit by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and adopted as the national song, a status separate from that of the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam opposed the measure in the Rajya Sabha, with MP K Kanimozhi characterising it as an imposition of Hindutva. The government has presented the amendment as protecting a national symbol on the same footing as the flag.
Why is it contested?
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam opposed the bill in the Rajya Sabha, where its MP K Kanimozhi characterised the measure as an imposition of Hindutva. The party governs in Tamil Nadu and has long resisted what it presents as central attempts to impose northern cultural and linguistic norms.
Vande Mataram has been contested since before independence. Sections of the song were dropped from official use in 1937 after objections from Muslim organisations to passages describing the nation in the form of a Hindu deity, and only the first two stanzas are conventionally sung.
Where does it sit in the session?
The bill was one of several passed during a monsoon session marked by repeated disruption. The Lok Sabha has not completed a Question Hour since the session opened on 20 July, and opposition parties have pressed the government on the Ram Mandir donations allegation and the police response to student protests.
Speech-related offences are a recurring point of friction in Indian legislation, where provisions framed around national honour and public order have been criticised by rights organisations as broad enough to capture political expression.
The government has presented the measure as placing a national symbol on the same footing as the flag and the constitution, rather than as a restriction on expression.
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Sources for this report
The Redline News Desk
The Redline News desk files and edits world reporting. Every story carries the sources it was built from, and corrections are published on the story itself.
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