A new bill that proposes punishment for insulting or disrupting the singing of Vande Mataram will be introduced in the Lok Sabha when Parliament’s session begins on July 20. This bill, called the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, has already been cleared by the Union Cabinet.

The move comes after the home ministry had earlier issued guidelines making it compulsory to play or sing the national song at official events wherever the national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana,” is played.

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BJP’s stand on Vande Mataram

According to TOI, a few other bills are also listed for introduction in the Lok Sabha, including one that aims to tighten rules around the late registration of births and deaths.

Once passed by both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, this law will place the national song on the same footing as the national anthem and the national flag, meaning insulting it will now be treated as a punishable offence, just like insulting those national symbols.

The BJP has long argued that earlier “secular” governments never gave Vande Mataram, a song closely tied to India’s freedom movement, the respect it deserved. According to the party, this happened because those governments gave in to objections from a section of Muslims who took issue with the song’s Hindu imagery.

In recent times, there have also been cases where state governments run by opposition parties, or groups representing minority communities, allegedly failed to give the song due respect.

Other bills in the pipeline

Amid strong speculation that the government may bring back the bill on delimitation and women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies from 2029, a bill that a united opposition had blocked in the last session, a statement from the LS secretariat listing the bills to be introduced made no mention of it.

This bill can only be introduced once the Cabinet clears it, and government sources say its timing will be decided once the session starts.

The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, cleared by the Cabinet on Tuesday, proposes that births and deaths reported after a two-year delay can now be registered only with the order of a first-class judicial magistrate.

This replaces the current rule, which allowed approval from a District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, or executive magistrate.

Also on the list is the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, which will give Parliament’s formal approval to the ordinance that raised the number of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37.

Two other bills are also up for consideration: The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, which faced strong opposition criticism last session over concerns that it unfairly targets NGO funding, particularly for organisations linked to Christian bodies, and the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, aimed at overhauling higher education regulation, which is currently being examined by a parliamentary panel.

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FAQs

Q: What is the new bill about?

It proposes punishment for insulting or disrupting the singing of Vande Mataram, placing it on par with the national anthem and flag.

Q: When will it be introduced?

In the Lok Sabha, during the Parliament session starting July 20.