{
  "id": 11712020,
  "title": "Buddhist Activist BD Borkar Moves Supreme Court Against Mandatory Singing Of Full Vande Mataram",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/buddhist-activist-bd-borkar-moves-supreme-court-against-mandatory",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-03T14:30:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/buddhist-activist-bd-borkar-moves-supreme-court-against-mandatory-singing-of-full-vande-mataram"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Buddhist activist named BD Borkar has filed a petition with India's Supreme Court, challenging the mandatory singing of the full version of Vande Mataram at official events. The petitioner argues that the Ministry of Home Affairs' orders from January 28, 2026, and July 9, 2026, illegally replaced the 79-year-old tradition of singing a standalone, non-theistic two-stanza poem with a full version containing anti-Muslim language. The Supreme Court has requested a response from the West Bengal government regarding Mahua Moitra's plea for protection in another case. The petitioner contends that the original two-stanza version, penned by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, is distinct from the six-stanza composition found in his novel Anandamath, which was introduced in 1881. The six-stanza version includes references to Hindu goddesses, which the petitioner claims outrages the religious and spiritual sentiments of minority religions in India. The petition, filed through advocate Vaibhav Choudhary and prepared by Professor Mohan Gopal, seeks to have the MHA orders declared unconstitutional.",
  "summary": "A petition has been filed by a Buddhist activist before the Supreme Court of India challenging the mandatory singing of the full version of Vande Mataram at formal state events. According to reports, the petitioner, identified as BD Borkar, a Nagpur-based Buddhist activist, Ambedkarite scholar and civil rights advocate, contends that the MHA orders dated January 28, 2026, and July 9, 2026,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}