IPC Section 508 — Act caused by inducing person to believe that he will be rendered an object of the Divine displeasure

Summary

A person commits an offence if they deliberately make someone believe that they or someone close to them will face divine punishment unless they do something they are not legally required to do, or unless they avoid doing something they have a legal right to do. The punishment for this offence can be imprisonment for up to one year, a fine, or both.

Official Text

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.

Related Judgments

• NAIUIADA PRASAD v. CIUIAGAN LAL — Supreme Court of India (1969)
• SHRI BABURAO PATEL & ORS v. DR. ZAKIR HUSAIN & — Supreme Court of India (1968)
• NAGRI SABHA v. ADDL. DISTI. JUDGE 975 — Supreme Court of India (1990)
• SC (2024) Vol.4 p.523 — Supreme Court of India (2024)
• .. Petitioners vs 1. The State of Tamil Nadu, — Madras High Court (2017)
• L. P. AGARWAL v. N. DOKANIA — Supreme Court of India (1969)
• KRISHNAMOORTHY v. SIVAKUMAR & ORS. 989 — Supreme Court of India (2015)
• NANDLAL v. MANILAL — Supreme Court of India (1969)

Old <-> New Code Mapping

• BNS §354 — Act caused by inducing person to believe that he will be rendered an object of Divine displeasure