Vande Mataram bill introduced in RS: preventing or disturbing national song to become punishable offence

The bill was tabled in Rajya Sabha by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on behalf of his senior colleague, Union Home Minister Amit Shah | Photo Credit: ANI

The government introduced National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026, in Rajya Sabha on Friday, making “prevention” or “causing disturbance” in singing of national song Vande Mataram a criminal offence, carrying punishment of up to three year jail term or with fine, or both. 

The proposed amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, places the national song on par with the national anthem regarding offenses related to preventing or disturbing their singing.

The bill was tabled in Rajya Sabha by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on behalf of his senior colleague, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, amid slogan shouting by opposition MPs over the NEET paper leak controversy.

Opposition parliamentarians, including CPI MPs P Sandosh Kumar and John Brittas, objected to the bill’s introduction in the Upper House. They called it an attempt to “manufacture patriotism” and divert attention from the controversy surrounding the NEET paper leak and student’s demand seeking resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Speaking during discussion in the House, Kumar stated he respected national song Vande Mataram but opposed the proposed legislation on the grounds that it sought to create a division between authors of the two songs -- Rabindranath Tagore, who penned Jana Gana Mana, and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, who composed Vande Mataram.

Diverting attention from student protest

He charged that the bill was brought to divert attention from the ongoing students’ protest over seeking accountability on paper leak. The House presiding officer, however, advised Kumar to restrict his remarks to the bill.

In the ‘statement of objects and reasons’ for bringing in the legislation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah wrote: “At the meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on the 24th January, 1950, its President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, stated that the song Vande Mataram composed by, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, which played a historic role in the Indian freedom struggle, shall be honoured equally with JanaGana Mana and shall have equal status with it.”

The amendment has been introduced in section 3 of the Act which treated such obstacles only to recitation of the national anthem as an insult to national honour. Now national song has also been added to the legislation.

“Whoever, intentionally— (a) prevents the singing of the national anthem or the national song; or (b) causes disturbance to any assembly engaged in such singing, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both,” the bill tabled in Upper House stated.

Punishable acts

Amit Shah also stated in the statement that 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 statement explained.

Earlier on July 9, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued directions to states that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram must be sung or played at official functions and schools ahead of the national anthem. It also stated that audiences should stand, except when the national song is played as part of a movie narrative inside the cinema hall.

Published on July 24, 2026