India's Amit Shah to table bill criminalising insults to national song Vande Mataram

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will introduce the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Rajya Sabha on 20 July, the first day of the Monsoon Session. The amendment seeks to extend the 1971 Act’s protection—currently limited to the National Anthem Jana Gana Mana—to the national song Vande Mataram. Under the proposal, anyone who intentionally insults, obstructs or disrupts the singing of Vande Mataram could face up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both, placing the song on the same legal footing as the anthem, the flag and the constitution.

The government issued a directive on 9 July requiring states to play Vande Mataram before Jana Gana Mana at official functions, and the bill aims to codify that requirement. Opposition parties, including CPI(M) MP John Brittas, have warned that the amendment could upset the constitutional balance of pluralism and voluntary patriotism. Regional leaders, notably Bihar BJP officials, have voiced support for the stricter legal safeguards.

The proposal is part of a broader legislative agenda for the Monsoon Session, which will also consider other constitutional and policy bills.