Context
The Rajya Sabha has passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which amends the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 to extend penal provisions to acts showing disrespect towards Vande Mataram, including deliberate obstruction during its singing
Explanation
- The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 protects the dignity of the National Flag, the Constitution and the National Anthem by prescribing penalties for intentional disrespect.
- The 2026 Amendment Bill proposes to extend similar legal protection to the National Song, Vande Mataram, including penal provisions against deliberate obstruction during its singing.
- Vande Mataram was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875 and first appeared in the novel Anandamath (1882).
- The first two stanzas were adopted as the National Song in 1937 by the Indian National Congress and retained this status after Independence.
- The National Anthem is Jana Gana Mana, while Vande Mataram is the National Song; both hold national significance, though they have distinct constitutional and legal recognition.
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