Vande Mataram in the Supreme Court: Can the State Punish Those Who Do Not Sing the National Song?

On 22 September 2026, a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court — CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana — sought the Union government's response to a petition by Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna challenging the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026 and the Ministry of Home Affairs orders that prescribe all six stanzas of Vande Mataram at official functions. The Bench observed that while the elected State may define the National Song, a conscientious objector who declines to sing it cannot be subjected to penal consequences, and that the law declared in Bijoe Emmanuel v. State of Kerala (1986) will govern the 2026 amendment.