BNS Section 354: Inducing a Person to Believe He Will Be an Object of Divine Displeasure (IPC 508 Mapping) (2026)

Explainer · Criminal Law · BNS

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

Section 354 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) punishes a person who makes another do or omit an act by making them believe that they, or someone they care about, will be made an object of Divine displeasure. It replaced Section 508 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) from 1 July 2024. The punishment is imprisonment of either description up to one year, or fine, or both. This explainer sets out what Section 354 covers, how it maps to the old law, the punishment, and the classification. Last verified October 2026.

01Why the section number matters now

Since 1 July 2024 the Indian Penal Code (IPC) is replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS). Section numbers moved. The offence of forcing an act through a threat of Divine displeasure, which lawyers knew as Section 508 of the IPC, is now Section 354 of the BNS.

There is a common mix-up to avoid. In the old IPC, Section 509 punished a word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman. That offence is not Section 354 of the BNS. It now sits in Section 79 of the BNS, within the chapter on offences against women. Section 354 is a different offence, about inducing a belief of Divine displeasure.

02What Section 354 covers

Section 354 of the BNS punishes a person who uses religious fear to control another person's conduct. It is aimed at coercion dressed up as a spiritual threat.

The offence is made out when a person voluntarily causes another to do something they are not legally bound to do, or to leave undone something they are legally entitled to do, by inducing the belief that they, or any person they are interested in, will be rendered an object of Divine displeasure if they do not comply.

03Key ingredients

To bring a case under Section 354, the prosecution must show inducement, a belief of Divine displeasure, and a resulting act or omission.

• Voluntary inducement: the accused voluntarily caused the other person to act or to abstain.
• Belief of Divine displeasure: the means used was to make the person believe that they, or someone they are interested in, will be made an object of Divine displeasure.
• An act not legally required, or an omission of a legal right: the person did something they were not bound to do, or gave up something they were entitled to do.

Belief in the supernatural is not itself an offence. The wrong is using that belief to force another person's conduct.

04Old to new: IPC 508 to BNS 354

Section 508 of the IPC is now Section 354 of the BNS. The offence is carried over.

Note the renumbering: old Section 508 is now Section 354, while old Section 509 (a separate offence about insulting the modesty of a woman) moved to Section 79, not Section 354.

05Punishment and classification

The punishment under Section 354 is imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or fine, or both.

On classification, the offence under Section 354 is:

• Non-cognizable: the police generally need an order of a Magistrate before they register and investigate.
• Bailable: bail is a matter of right, subject to the usual conditions.
• Triable by any Magistrate.

06What changed from the old law

For this offence, the change is mainly the number. The ingredients and the one-year ceiling are carried over from Section 508 of the IPC, so older judgments on Section 508 still guide how Section 354 is read.

The point most worth remembering is the renumbering trap. Because Section 354 of the old IPC dealt with assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, searches for "section 354" can bring up the old offence. Under the BNS, that conduct is dealt with in the chapter on offences against women, and Section 354 of the BNS is this different provision about Divine displeasure.

07Where Claw fits

Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.

Because the numbering shifted, it is easy to pull the wrong provision, which makes checking how courts actually use a section worthwhile. Claw lets you search cases, orders and hearing dates across 9,102 courts, benches and forums and confirm the real treatment. Its collection runs past 30 crore judgments, reaches the Supreme Court back to 1950 and the High Courts back to 1990, and answers most searches in under five seconds, so you can see how the old Section 508 and the new Section 354 are applied, or follow a live matter by party or advocate name.

The documents you upload are not used to train Claw's AI models. Create a free Claw account to follow a Section 354 matter by party or advocate name and surface the older Section 508 rulings behind it. To search the wider body of law, see case search across Indian courts.

08Sources and further reading

• India Code (official text of the BNS, 2023): indiacode.nic.in
• PRS Legislative Research (BNS overview and IPC comparison): prsindia.org
• Section 354, BNS (bare text): devgan.in
• Claw: clawlaw.in

This explainer is general information, not legal advice. The law changes through amendments and judgments, so check the current text and take advice from counsel before you act.

09Frequently asked questions