This section only concerns statements that hurt religious sentiments.

This provision is about the location, a place of worship or religious ceremony, where certain public-mischief statement offences are committed, not specifically about religious content itself.

Indian Penal Code, 1860

Section 505

repealed

Statements conducing public mischief

Whoever commits an offence specified in sub-section (2) in any place of worship or in any assembly engaged in the performance of religious worship or religious ceremonies, shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to five years and shall also be liable to fine.§

Why this exists

Section 505 as a whole deals with statements, rumours, or reports that could cause public fear, incite people to commit an offence against the State or public tranquillity, or promote enmity between groups. This aggravated part singles out committing such an offence inside a place of worship or during a religious ceremony as deserving harsher punishment, recognising that misusing sacred or communal religious spaces to spread mischief carries heightened risk of communal tension and disorder. (This entry reflects the specific text on record for this provision; the surrounding sub-sections of Section 505 dealing with the underlying statements are not shown here.)

Common misconceptions

Myth: This section only concerns statements that hurt religious sentiments.
Fact: This provision is about the location, a place of worship or religious ceremony, where certain public-mischief statement offences are committed, not specifically about religious content itself.