President of India Droupadi Murmu gave her formal assent to the Vande Mataram Bill, granting the National Song the same legal protection currently available to the National Anthem, ‘Jana Gana Mana.’
The legislation, officially known as the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, amends the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. The amendment brings Vande Mataram under the same legal protection provided to the National Anthem.
Under the amended law, intentionally preventing the singing of the National Song or causing a disturbance during an assembly engaged in singing it will be treated as an offence.
The move gives Vande Mataram statutory protection under the national honour law, placing it on the same legal footing as the National Anthem in terms of protection against deliberate insult or disruption.
Vande Mataram has long held the status of India’s National Song and is accorded equal honour with the National Anthem.
Bureau Report
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