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Supreme Court hears challenge to six-stanza Vande Mataram amendment

By Drooid · Sep 22, 2026, 4:44 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Supreme Court Reviews Anthem

The Supreme Court heard TM Krishna’s petition challenging the 2026 amendment requiring all six Vande Mataram stanzas.
Senior advocate S Muralidhar objected to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s “Naxalites” remark, which Mehta refused to withdraw.
The bench said it will not define “national song” but objectors should not be penalized.
Section 3 imposes up to three years’ imprisonment or a fine for preventing anthem or Vande Mataram singing.

Summary

Home Ministry Reintroduces

The Home Ministry reintroduced the six-stanza version of Vande Mataram on February 6, 2026 to mark its 150th anniversary.
President Droupadi Murmu assented to the 2026 amendment placing Vande Mataram under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act.
The Constituent Assembly never formally declared Vande Mataram a national song.
In 1937 the Indian National Congress restricted Vande Mataram to two stanzas after Muslim members objected.
Rajendra Prasad, Subhas Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru and Rabindranath Tagore supported the two-stanza arrangement.

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Supreme Court Reviews Anthem

The Supreme Court heard TM Krishna’s petition challenging the 2026 amendment requiring all six Vande Mataram stanzas.
Senior advocate S Muralidhar objected to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s “Naxalites” remark, which Mehta refused to withdraw.
The bench said it will not define “national song” but objectors should not be penalized.
Section 3 imposes up to three years’ imprisonment or a fine for preventing anthem or Vande Mataram singing.

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