IPC Section 297 — Trespassing on burial places, etc

Summary

A person who enters a place of worship, burial ground, or any place used for funeral rites or storing dead bodies, with the intent to hurt someone’s feelings or insult their religion, or knowing that their actions are likely to do so, commits an offence. The same applies if they insult a dead body or disturb people gathered for a funeral. This offence can lead to imprisonment for up to one year, a fine, or both.

Official Text

Whoever, with the intention of wounding the feelings of any person, or of insulting the religion of any person, or with the knowledge that the feelings of any person are likely to be wounded, or that the religion of any person is likely to be insulted thereby, commits any trespass in any place of worship or on any place of sepulture, or any place set apart for the performance of funeral rites or as a depository for the remains of the dead, or offers any indignity to any human corpse, or causes disturbance to any persons assembled for the performance of funeral ceremonies, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.

Related Judgments

• PRAMATHA NATH TALUQDAR vs SAROJ RANJAN SARKAR — Supreme Court of India (1961)
• THE STATE OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH vs RAMCHANDRA RABIDAS @ RATAN RABIDAS & ANR — Supreme Court of India (2019)
• A. SUBASH BABU vs STATE OF A.P.& ANR — Supreme Court of India (2011)
• Selvinkumar vs 1.The State of Tamil Nadu rep. by, The Inspector of Police,, Kulasekar — Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) (2025)

Old <-> New Code Mapping

• BNS §301 — Trespassing on burial places, etc