BNS Section 299- Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs | Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023
Hello readers! Today, we are going to break down Section 299 of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023. If you've been wondering what exactly this section covers and how it impacts our legal system, you're in the right place.
Bare Act Text
Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.—Whoever, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of citizens of India, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations or through electronic means 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 three years, or with fine, or with both.
Procedural Details
Punishment
Imprisonment up to Three Year(s) + Fine
Nature of Offense
Cognizable
Bail Eligibility
Non-bailable
Compoundability
Non-Compoundable (Refer to BNSS 359 for exceptions)
Trial Court
Magistrate First Class
Frequently Asked Questions about BNS Section 299
What is Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)?
According to the official bare act, this legal offense is defined as: Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.—Whoever, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of citizens of India, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations or through electronic means 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 three years, or with fine, or with both.
What is the punishment under BNS Section299 ?
The punishment for this specific offense is outlined under the new law as: Imprisonment up to Three Year(s) + Fine
Is BNS Section 299 bailable or non-bailable?
Under the new legal framework, this specific offense is classified as a Non-bailableoffense.
Is BNS Section 299 a cognizable offense?
The legal status regarding police arrest without a warrant is that this offense isCognizable.
Which court has the jurisdiction to try cases under BNS Section 299 ?
Cases pertaining to this specific BNS section are triable by the Magistrate First Class.
Can BNS Section 299 be compromised (Compoundable)?
The compoundable nature of this offense, meaning whether the parties can settle it out of court, is classified as: Non-Compoundable (Refer to BNSS 359 for exceptions).
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Pramod is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of StudyHub. He holds a Master's degree and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Geology, alongside more than 7+ years spent building and verifying competitive exam content for Indian aspirants. He leads StudyHub's editorial process across Indian Polity, the Constitution, Indian Economy, History, Geography, Science, and the platform's other subject areas — checking every article against primary sources (bare act text and Gazette notifications for constitutional topics, government and Economic Survey data for economy content, standard reference material elsewhere) and flagging it for re-verification whenever a relevant amendment, policy, or data update makes an earlier version outdated.