The order specifies that “when the national song and the national anthem are sung or played, the national song will be sung or played first,” and that it must be rendered while standing at attention. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act was enacted in 1971 to protect the dignity of India’s key national symbols — the National Flag, the Constitution and the National Anthem (‘Jana Gana Mana’). The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, expands the scope of this existing Act to bring the National Song ‘Vande Mataram’ under the same legal protection.