The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 is India's principal law penalising disrespect shown to specified national symbols.
Basic Details
- Enacted: 1971, by Parliament.
- Original Coverage: Penalised insults to the National Flag, the Constitution of India, and the National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana).
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs.
Key Provisions
- Original Offences: Criminalises burning, mutilating, defacing or trampling the National Flag; disrespecting the Constitution; and intentionally preventing the singing of, or disturbing an assembly engaged in singing, the National Anthem.
- 2026 Amendment: Substituted Section 3 to extend the same protection given to the National Anthem to India's National Song, Vande Mataram — intentionally preventing its singing, or disturbing an assembly singing it, is now a punishable offence.
- Penalty: Imprisonment up to three years, a fine, or both.
- Not Mandatory: The law does not compel anyone to sing the National Anthem or National Song — it only penalises deliberate obstruction or insult during their rendition.
Significance
- Symbol Protection: The primary statutory shield for India's national symbols against deliberate disrespect.
- 2026 Parity: The amendment gave Vande Mataram formal legal parity with the National Anthem for the first time, though it remains constitutionally distinct — only the National Anthem is named in Article 51A(a).