Disturbing religious assembly
What this section does
Punishes voluntary disturbance of an assembly lawfully engaged in religious worship or religious ceremonies. The assembly must be lawfully engaged in religious activity at the time of the disturbance.
AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).
Quick reference
- Punishment
- Imprisonment of either description for up to 1 year, or fine, or both.
- Triable by
- Any Magistrate
- Cognizable
- No
- Bailable
- Yes
- Compoundable
- No
Ingredients (what prosecution must prove)
- There was an assembly lawfully engaged in the performance of religious worship or religious ceremonies
- The accused voluntarily caused disturbance to that assembly
Derived from IPC s.296.
Read the official text
For the binding statutory text of BNS Section 300, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.
Why this matters
BNS Section 300 forms part of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita which replaced the Indian Penal Code 1860 on 1 July 2024. Any new filing, FIR, charge sheet, or bail application made on or after that date should cite the new section number. References to the old act in legacy documents remain valid for matters that arose before the changeover.