President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, granting Vande Mataram the same statutory legal protection as the National Anthem.

Under the amendment, deliberate insults or interruptions during the singing of the national song will be treated as a punishable offence. The move strengthens legal safeguards for the national song and places it on an equal statutory footing with the National Anthem.