Is flag burning illegal in India?

Criminal offense

Desecration of the Indian flag is illegal under the Flag Code and Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act.

India is one of 55 countries classified “Criminal offense” for flag desecration — 82% of the 67 with data. (Also searched as flag burning.)

Source

Taken from
Wikipedia: Flag desecration
Last checked
17 September 2026
How it was classified
Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.

Nearby countries

Nepal
Criminal offense Burning or disrespecting the national flag is illegal and punishable by jail or fines.
Thailand
Criminal offense Desecrating the Thai national flag is a criminal offense punishable by fine or imprisonment.
Uzbekistan
Criminal offense Desecration of the national flag is a criminal offense punishable by fines, community service, or correctional labor.
China
Criminal offense Flag desecration is a crime in China.
United Arab Emirates
Criminal offense Desecrating the UAE flag or flags of other countries is illegal in the UAE.
Kazakhstan
Criminal offense Flag desecration is a criminal offense punishable by fines, house arrest, or imprisonment.

Other laws in India

Blasphemy Laws
Criminal offense
Apostasy Laws
Legal
Holocaust Denial
No specific law
Conversion Therapy
Partial ban

Every law in India → · Where is burning the flag illegal? →

A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.