Section 299: Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs

Corresponding IPC provision

As given in the correspondence table of the National Crime Records Bureau (Ministry of Home Affairs). Read both texts before relying on it. NCRB table

Leading cases

• Imran Pratapgadhi v. State of Gujarat (2025)The Court quashed an FIR against a Member of Parliament for posting a video with a poem, holding that no offence was made out and that police and courts must protect freedom of speech under Article 19(1)(a).

Questions on this section

2 questions in 8 of our papers cite Section 299. Try these from the free papers:

1. 1. In Ramji Lal Modi v. State of U.P. (1957), the Supreme Court considered the validity of Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (now Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023). The Court:

   A.upheld the section, holding that it punishes only aggravated forms of insult to religionB.struck down the section as an unreasonable restriction on the freedom of speech and expressionC.read down the section so that it applies only to insults uttered in places of worshipD.upheld the section, holding that it punishes every insult to religion, however it is made
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