[REVISION HISTORY]

India Vande Mataram legislation

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-07-31 08:52 UTC → 2026-07-31 08:53 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In late July 2026 India’s Parliament approved an amendment to the 1971 Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, extending criminal penalties to the national song Vande Mataram. The Rajya Sabha passed the ~~Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026~~ amendment on 29 July and the Lok Sabha cleared it on 30 July, both by voice vote, ~~despite heated protests, walkouts and chants from~~ amid loud opposition ~~members.~~ protests and walkouts. The ~~amendment~~ bill makes intentional obstruction, insult or disturbance of Vande Mataram punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both, with a mandatory minimum of one year for repeat convictions. The government ~~presented~~ framed the change as fulfilling the Constituent Assembly’s 1950 decision to honour Vande Mataram on par with the national anthem and the flag. ~~Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai defended the measure as a matter of national pride.~~ Opposition parties, especially the DMK, denounced the legislation as a ~~Hindutva agenda and an~~ Hindutva‑driven, undemocratic imposition. DMK MP Kanimozhi led protests, tearing documents and demanding broader consensus. The following day, Rajya Sabha member and Socialist Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav criticised the amendment, arguing it was unnecessary and should not alter After passage the ~~song’s historical significance. The~~ bill ~~now moves~~ was sent to the President of India for assent ~~before becoming law.~~ and will become law thereafter.

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