Government to introduce bill making Vande Mataram insults punishable
A Bill to make intentional insult of, or disruption during, the singing of the National Song "Vande Mataram" a punishable offence is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session.
The government also plans changes to birth and death registration rules through the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) framework, tightening the process for late registration.
The Supreme Court's sanctioned judge strength was increased earlier via an ordinance, and Parliament is expected to formally ratify the change through the corresponding Bill in this session.
Discussions continue on delimitation and women's legislative reservation, though neither has been listed as session business.
Amendments to the foreign contribution regulation framework (FCRA) are also planned for introduction.
Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill
The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 penalises disrespect to India's National Flag, National Anthem, and the Constitution. The proposed amendment extends equivalent protection — up to three years' imprisonment, a fine, or both — to intentional insult of or disruption during the singing of "Vande Mataram," the National Song.
Key Details
- "Vande Mataram," composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in the novel Anandamath (1882), was accorded the status of National Song by the Constituent Assembly in 1950 — distinct from "Jana Gana Mana," adopted as the National Anthem.
- Existing law already penalises anthem-related offences with up to three years' imprisonment; the amendment applies an identical penalty structure to the National Song.
- The Bill received Union Cabinet approval ahead of the Monsoon Session, which runs from July 20.
This is the headline legislative item of the session's five listed Bills, extending statutory symbolic protection historically reserved for the Flag, Anthem, and Constitution to the National Song for the first time.
Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023 — Digital Civil Registration
The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023 mandates States to register births and deaths on the Centre's Civil Registration System (CRS) portal and share data with the Registrar General of India (under the Union Home Ministry), enabling a single digital birth certificate to serve as proof of date and place of birth for services like school admission, driving licences, voter registration, Aadhaar, marriage registration, and government employment.
Key Details
- The 2023 Act amended the parent Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969.
- Tightened rules under consideration would require births/deaths reported after a two-year delay to be registered only on the order of a first-class Judicial Magistrate, rather than through routine local registrar processes.
- The Registrar General of India also compiles the CRS as an alternate demographic dataset used alongside Census and Sample Registration System (SRS) data.
The rule-tightening reported in this session's agenda addresses long-delayed registrations, reinforcing the digital, centralised registration architecture the 2023 Act established.
Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment — Judicial Capacity
Parliament alone can alter the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court under Article 124(1), which fixes the Court's composition "until Parliament by law prescribes a larger number." The Union government used an ordinance route (Article 123) in May 2026 to raise this strength ahead of formal parliamentary ratification.
Key Details
- The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026 was promulgated on May 16, 2026, raising the number of puisne judges (excluding the CJI) from 33 to 37 — taking total sanctioned strength (including CJI) from 34 to 38.
- Under Article 123, an ordinance must be laid before both Houses when they reassemble and lapses six weeks after reassembly unless replaced by an Act — making the Monsoon Session Bill necessary to make the change permanent.
- The stated rationale was the Supreme Court's pending caseload, reported at over 93,000 cases as of March 31, 2026.
The Bill expected this session is the constitutionally mandated legislative ratification of a judge-strength increase the Executive had already implemented by ordinance, illustrating the ordinance-to-Act pathway under Article 123.
Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA) regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contributions by individuals, associations, and companies to safeguard national interest. The 2026 Amendment Bill proposes a "designated authority" empowered to take provisional and permanent control of the foreign contributions and assets of organisations whose FCRA registration is cancelled, surrendered, or not renewed.
Key Details
- FCRA, 2010 replaced the earlier Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976, and is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Registration under FCRA must be renewed every five years; non-renewal currently leaves the legal status of held foreign assets ambiguous — the gap the 2026 amendment addresses.
- Assets built even partly with foreign contributions (schools, hospitals, land) could be transferred to government bodies or sold, with proceeds credited to the Consolidated Fund of India.
This Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in March 2026 and is prioritised for passage in the Monsoon Session alongside the Vande Mataram Bill.
- Monsoon Session: July 20 to August 13, 2026.
- Existing penalty for National Anthem-related offences: up to 3 years' imprisonment and/or fine (Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971); the new Bill extends this to Vande Mataram.
- Supreme Court judge strength: raised from 34 to 38 (including CJI) via ordinance dated May 16, 2026; puisne judges raised from 33 to 37.
- Supreme Court pending caseload: approximately 93,143 cases as of March 31, 2026.
- FCRA registration renewal cycle: every 5 years.
- Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023: mandates State reporting to the Centre's CRS portal, administered under the Registrar General of India (Union Home Ministry).