Amid Centre push to penalise Vande Mataram ‘insult’, 1,102 arrests, 60 convictions since 2014

In the 11 year-period from 2014 to 2024, a total 699 cases of violations of the Act have been reported at an average rate of 64 cases per year. (Image generated using AI) 4 min readNew DelhiJul 25, 2026 10:00 AM IST First published on: Jul 25, 2026 at 10:00 AM IST While the Monsoon Session of Parliament has so far failed to conduct any significant business amid a running conflict between the Narendra Modi government and the Opposition over the paper leak protests, the government on Friday introduced in the Rajya Sabha an amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, to make any insult to the national song “Vande Mataram” a criminal offence, granting it the same statutory protection currently given to the national anthem “Jana Gana Mana”. However, an analysis of data