354. Whoever voluntarily causes or attempts to cause any person to do anything which that person is not legally bound to do, or to omit to do anything which he is legally entitled to do, by inducing or attempting to induce that person to believe that he or any person in whom he is interested will become or will be rendered by some act of the offender an object of Divine displeasure if he does not do the thing which it is the object of the offender to cause him to do, or if he does the thing which it is the object of the offender to cause him to omit, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both. Illustrations. (a) A sits dharna at Z’s door with the intention of causing it to be believed that, by so sitting, he renders Z an object of Divine displeasure. A has committed the offence defined in this section. (b) A threatens Z that, unless Z performs a certain act, A will kill one of A’s own children, under such circumstances that the killing would be believed to render Z an object of Divine displeasure. A has committed the offence defined in this section.
IPC Section 508 in BNS: Section 354
Act caused by inducing person to believe that he will be rendered an object of the Divine displeasure
Section 508 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Act caused by inducing person to believe that he will be rendered an object of the Divine displeasure) corresponds to Section 354 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, in force from 1 July 2024. Under the BNSS First Schedule, BNS 354 is non-cognizable, bailable, triable by Any Magistrate; punishment: Imprisonment for 1 year, or fine, or both.
Bail, cognizability and punishment
| Section | Offence | Punishment | Cognizable | Bailable | Triable by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 354 | Act caused by inducing a person to believe that he will be rendered an object of Divine displeasure. | Imprisonment for 1 year, or fine, or both. | Non-cognizable | Bailable | Any Magistrate |
Source: BNSS, 2023, First Schedule, Part I.
The BNS applies to offences committed on or after 1 July 2024. Offences committed earlier are charged and tried under the IPC.
Text of BNS Section 354
Full BNS Section 354 and every IPC section it replaced →
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