President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday gave assent to a Bill that criminalises intentional disruption or prevention of the singing of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’, giving it the same legal protection currently accorded to the national anthem, a government statement said.

With the president’s assent, The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, has become a law. The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill on July 30, while the Rajya Sabha had cleared it a day earlier. The legislation grants Vande Mataram the same status as the national anthem, ‘Jana Gana Mana’.