President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday gave her assent to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, granting the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ the same statutory legal protection as the national anthem, ‘Jana Gana Mana’. With the President’s approval, the legislation has become law and amends the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. The move establishes a common legal framework for dealing with certain offences involving the national song and national anthem. Parliament had passed the amendment Bill last month as part of efforts to extend statutory protection to ‘Vande Mataram’.

The legislation modifies the existing law, which previously contained specific provisions relating to preventing the singing of the national anthem or causing disruption to an assembly engaged in singing it. The amendment brings the national song within the scope of the same legal protection, giving authorities a statutory basis to act against specified acts of insult or disruption involving ‘Vande Mataram’. Under the amended provisions, offences covered by the legislation can attract imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both. The provisions are intended to address deliberate acts that interfere with the singing of the national song or otherwise fall within the offences specified under the amended law.

The legislation therefore places ‘Vande Mataram’ alongside ‘Jana Gana Mana’ within the statutory framework governing protection of national honour. Before the amendment came into force, the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, specifically prohibited intentionally preventing the singing of the national anthem or causing disturbance to an assembly engaged in singing it. Such violations were punishable with imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both. The earlier law also provided for a minimum one-year imprisonment in cases involving a second and subsequent conviction. The national song, however, did not previously receive the same level of statutory protection under the Act.

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The amendment changes that position by extending the relevant legal safeguards to ‘Vande Mataram’. With presidential assent now granted, the provisions have become part of the law and will govern offences covered by the amended legislation. The move gives ‘Vande Mataram’ a formal statutory status within the legal framework dealing with the protection of national honour, while ‘Jana Gana Mana’ continues to be the national anthem. ‘Vande Mataram’, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, has historically played a significant role in India’s freedom movement and has long held an important place in the country’s national life. The song was adopted as the national song after Independence, while ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was adopted as the national anthem.

The amendment comes into effect following the President’s assent and represents a change from the earlier legal position. The law now provides for penalties, including imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both, for offences covered by its provisions concerning the national song. The move is expected to provide a clearer statutory framework for protecting both national songs and the national anthem from specified acts of insult or disruption. With the legislation now enacted, ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Jana Gana Mana’ have the same statutory protection under the amended Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act in relation to the offences covered by the law. The presidential assent completes the legislative process that began with Parliament’s passage of the amendment Bill last month, formally bringing the new provisions into force.

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