Now Reading: Rajya Sabha passes bill giving Vande Mataram legal protection
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Rajya Sabha passes bill giving Vande Mataram legal protection
The Rajya Sabha passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, extending the same legal protection to the national song, Vande Mataram, that currently covers the national anthem, Jana…
The Rajya Sabha passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, extending the same legal protection to the national song, Vande Mataram, that currently covers the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. The amendment to the 1971 Act makes deliberate insults to the song punishable with up to three years in prison, a fine, or both. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the change reflected the country's cultural heritage and national consciousness, tracing the song's history from its 1875 composition to its use during the independence movement, and said opposition to it amounted to appeasement.
BJP MP Radha Mohan Das Agrawal said the song had faced disrespect for over 123 years and alleged an insult occurred during a 1923 Congress session. YSRCP MP Golla Baburao welcomed the bill, while members of the BJD, AAP and AIADMK also took part in the debate, though the report gave no detail of their specific positions.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The bill's practical effect, a criminal penalty for deliberate insult, is stated clearly, but the report does not explain how officials would establish that an insult was deliberate rather than incidental, or how the law would interact with protected speech. The historical claims made in the debate, including the alleged 1923 incident, are asserted by MPs rather than independently confirmed here. Framing opposition to the bill as appeasement is one minister's political characterisation, not an established fact. Whether any prosecution is brought under the amended law once it takes effect is the point that will test these claims.
Source: Republic World
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
