CHAPTER XV OF OFFENCES RELATING TO RELIGION

Section 295A: Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs

Repealed by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024.

¹[Whoever, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of ²[citizens of India], ³[by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations or otherwise], insults or attempts to insult the religion or the religious beliefs of that class, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ⁴[three years], or with fine, or with both.]

Footnotes in the official text

1.Ins. by Act 25 of 1927, s. 2.
2.Subs. by the A. O. 1950, for “His Majesty’s subjects”.
3.Subs. by Act 41 of 1961, s. 3, for certain words (w.e.f. 27-9-1961).
4.Subs. by s. 3, ibid., for “two years”.

Now in the BNS

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

295A. Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.

BNS 299

Questions on this section

2 questions in 8 of our papers cite Section 295A. Try these from the free papers:

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:

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