President gives assent to Vande Mataram Bill, new law takes effect

President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday gave her assent to the Vande Mataram Bill, bringing the national song under the same statutory protection as the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana.

Parliament passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, last month. The legislation amended the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, to include Vande Mataram within its ambit.

With the president's approval, the Bill has now become law. Under the amended legislation, intentionally preventing the singing of Vande Mataram or causing disruption to an assembly engaged in singing it can attract imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both.

What the new law changes

The earlier law specifically covered offences involving the national anthem. It prohibited intentionally preventing its singing or causing disturbance to an assembly engaged in singing it.

Those offences were punishable with imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both. A second or subsequent conviction carried a minimum one-year prison term.

The legislation said there was no specific provision covering insults to the national song and proposed bringing it under Section 3 of the Act.

"Presently, there is no specific legal provision to prevent insults to the singing of 'Vande Mataram', which is honoured as the national song. Therefore, in order to prohibit any person from intentionally preventing the singing of the national song or causing disturbance to any assembly engaged in such singing, it is proposed to amend Section 3 of the said Act to include the national song also within its ambit, so as to make such acts punishable," the Bill had said.

Vande Mataram to feature at Red Fort

The development comes ahead of Independence Day, with the Union Home Ministry announcing that Vande Mataram will be sung from the Red Fort during this year's August 15 celebrations.

Earlier, the Ministry issued protocols for singing the national song at official functions. It said all six stanzas, with a duration of 3 minutes and 10 seconds, would be sung first when Vande Mataram and the national anthem are played together.

"When the national song and the national anthem are sung or played, the national song will be sung or played first," the order read.

The Ministry also directed schools to begin the day's work with community singing of the national song.