Petition challenges six-stanza Vande Mataram as divisive, religiously insensitive

A petition has been filed in India's Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of government directives making the six-stanza version of Vande Mataram mandatory, with the petitioner arguing it could intensify religious discord across the country. B.D. Borkar, a social activist associated with Phule-Ambedkarite thought, filed the plea asserting that successive government orders enforcing the extended rendition of the nationalist song amount to state compulsion that infringes upon religious freedom and minority rights.

The petition contends that mandating the full six-stanza version, which contains religious imagery and references, would wound the spiritual sentiments of India's religious minorities and constitute an unconstitutional step toward theocratic governance. According to the filing, the government orders would inevitably lead to deepening communal tensions and conflict by imposing majoritarian religious expressions on citizens of different faiths.

The plea raises questions about the scope of state authority in prescribing patriotic expressions and whether such mandates can override constitutional protections guaranteeing religious freedom and equality. The case highlights ongoing tensions in India regarding the limits of government power in defining national symbols and the accommodation of religious diversity in public institutions.

The Supreme Court will determine whether the government orders violate constitutional guarantees protecting minority rights and religious liberty, and whether mandatory recitation of the extended Vande Mataram constitutes impermissible state action promoting religious majoritarianism.