Supreme Court seeks government response on pleas challenging Vande Mataram as a ‘divisive religious war song’
India’s Supreme Court has asked the Union government to reply to several petitions that contest the status of “Vande Mataram” as a national song, describing it as a divisive war hymn linked to particular deities. The petitioners argue that official directives turn the song into a sectarian prayer, breaching constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and potentially violating criminal statutes.