world ⚖️ No penalty for skipping Vande Mataram singing: SC to Centre
The Supreme Court told the Centre that a conscientious objector should not be punished for refusing to sing Vande Mataram. This ruling comes while hearing a petition from Carnatic vocalist T M Krishna against the law mandating all six stanzas. The bench specifically referenced the 1986 Bijoe Emmanuel judgment which protected children refusing the anthem on conscience grounds. Krishna's challenge targets the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, amended in 2026. The court will examine if the fundamental rights of conscientious objectors are protected under the law.