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Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill Introduced, Covers Vande Mataram — UPSC Current Affairs 2026

Polity & Governance24 Jul 2026

Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill Introduced, Covers Vande Mataram

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1
Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the Rajya Sabha on 24 July 2026.
2
The Bill amends the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, extending its protection to the National Song 'Vande Mataram', placing it on par with the National Anthem.
3
It criminalises intentionally preventing the singing of the National Anthem/Song or disturbing an assembly singing them, with penalties up to 3 years' imprisonment, a fine, or both.
4
The move follows a 9 July 2026 Home Ministry directive that Vande Mataram be played before Jana Gana Mana at official functions, and invokes Dr Rajendra Prasad's 1950 statement giving the song equal status.

●Bill introduced: 24 July 2026, in the Rajya Sabha, by Union Home Minister Amit Shah
●Amends: Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 (Section 3)
●New coverage: extends protection to the National Song, Vande Mataram
●Penalty: imprisonment up to 3 years, fine, or both, for intentionally preventing/disturbing its singing

Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971

Parent Act criminalising disrespect to the National Flag, Constitution and National Anthem; the 2026 Bill extends Section 3 to also cover the National Song

Vande Mataram, composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875 and published in Anandamath (1882), inspired generations during the freedom struggle. On 24 January 1950, Constituent Assembly President Dr Rajendra Prasad declared it should be 'honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana' and have equal status — a status the 2026 Bill seeks to give explicit legal teeth to for the first time.

The Bill follows a 9 July 2026 Home Ministry directive to states on playing Vande Mataram before Jana Gana Mana at official functions, forming a two-step push — administrative directive, then binding law — that has revived debate on balancing national-symbol respect with Article 19 free-expression rights, since critics question whether legal compulsion undermines voluntary patriotism.

Exam Relevance

upsc

GS Paper II - Polity (National symbols, Parliamentary Bills) & GS Paper I (Modern History - freedom struggle)

Expected Questions

★What protection did the 1971 Act originally provide, and what gap does the 2026 Bill fill?
★Who composed Vande Mataram and in which work was it published?

Key Terms

Vande Mataram

India's National Song, composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (1875), published in Anandamath (1882)

priority_highMust Remember

•2026 Bill extends the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 (Section 3) to cover Vande Mataram
•Introduced in Rajya Sabha by Amit Shah, 24 July 2026; penalty up to 3 years' imprisonment

Question 1 of 3Score: 0/0

Factual