Centre Plans Bill To Penalise Insult To Vande Mataram With Up To Three Years In Jail

Hyderabad, July 18: The Central government is preparing to introduce a Bill in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to make insulting Vande Mataram or disrupting its rendition a punishable offence. The proposed amendment provides for imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both.

The Bill seeks to amend the National Dignity Act, 1971, and is expected to be introduced during the Monsoon Session beginning on July 20.

According to the proposal, insulting Vande Mataram or intentionally obstructing its singing would become a criminal offence if Parliament approves the amendment.

The Centre is expected to introduce five new Bills and two pending Bills during the session. The government is also likely to brief political parties on the proposed legislation at an all party meeting.

Meanwhile, key constitutional measures, including the Women’s Reservation Bill and the Delimitation Bill, are not part of the provisional legislative agenda. Reports suggest the government may introduce them only after assessing whether it has the required two thirds majority.

The report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining proposals related to the disqualification of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and Ministers after prolonged judicial custody is also awaited.

The government is expected to prioritise pending legislation, including the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, which proposes increasing the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37.

The One Nation, One Election Bill is also unlikely to be taken up during the upcoming session. Opposition parties have sought wider consultations before any further move on the proposal.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, dealing with women’s reservation, was not passed in the previous Lok Sabha session after failing to secure the required two thirds majority. Opposition parties have maintained that they support women’s reservation but oppose linking its implementation to constituency delimitation. (Maxim News)