SC seeks Centre's response on pleas against full Vande Mataram
What's the story
The Supreme Court has sought the Centre's response to two petitions challenging Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) orders that mandated the singing of all six stanzas of the national song, Vande Mataram, at formal state events. The petitions were filed by a Buddhist activist and a former Indian Administrative Service officer. Both have raised concerns over the mandatory singing of the full version of Vande Mataram.
Petitioner's argument
Petition claims change is Islamophobic
The first petition was filed by Nagpur-based Buddhist activist BD Borkar, who argued that the MHA orders replace a 79-year-old practice of singing a two-stanza version of Vande Mataram.
Borkar claimed this change is Islamophobic and damages national fraternity.
He said the original two-stanza version predates Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's novel Anandamath, which contains stanzas three to six that invoke Hindu deities Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati.
The pre-Anandamath version pays tribute to nature without invoking religious deity, the plea added.
Second petition
Second plea
The second petition was filed by Balakrishnan Sathyabhama Mavoji, a former IAS officer and current Chairman of Anupathika Prathinidhya Prakshobha Samithi.
He argued that making the full version mandatory violates his freedom of religion and undermines secularism.
Mavoji's plea states he belongs to a Scheduled Caste community that rejects Vaishnavite or Saktheya religious practices or any other sectarian theistic practice, while such doctrines underpin Anandamath and the six stanzas of the "Religious War Song" in it.
Plea
Mavoji urged court to quash the two MHA orders
He also states that historically, there was no express decision to confer Vande Mataram national song status.
"Thus, the use of the 2-stanza, stand-alone, non-Anandamath version of 'Vande Mataram' in state events having become a legally binding custom by 2026, the Respondent No. 1 had no power to nullify the use of this 'Vande Mataram' and supplant it with a new 6-stanza song from Anandamath," the plea says.
Mavoji urged the court to quash the two MHA orders.
Previous case
Court yet to rule on Carnatic singer's plea
The court had earlier heard a plea by Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna, challenging a 2026 amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honor Act.
The amendment made it punishable to intentionally prevent or disrupt the singing of Vande Mataram with up to three years in jail.
At the time, the court orally observed that a conscientious objector who does not recite all stanzas of Vande Mataram shouldn't face criminal prosecution.
All three pleas will be heard on November 30.