Disturbing a Religious Assembly Under the BNS (Section 300): IPC 296 Mapping (2026)
What disturbing a religious assembly means under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, its new section number, the old IPC 296 it replaced, and the punishment. Last verified October 2026.
Explainer · Criminal Law · BNS
A prayer meeting, a puja, a namaz, a mass, or a religious procession is lawfully under way, and someone sets out to disrupt it. The law protects worship that is in progress, and it treats the deliberate disturbance of such a gathering as an offence. This explainer sets out the provision in plain terms: its section number under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), the old Indian Penal Code (IPC) section it replaced, what must be shown, and the punishment. Last verified October 2026.
- What it is: voluntarily disturbing an assembly lawfully engaged in religious worship or ceremony.
- New section: Section 300 of the BNS, 2023 (not 301, which is trespassing on burial places).
- Old section: it replaced Section 296 of the IPC.
- Punishment: imprisonment up to one year, or a fine, or both.
- Classification: cognizable, bailable, triable by any Magistrate (confirm against the BNSS First Schedule).
01The problem this section addresses
Worship needs calm. When people gather lawfully for religious worship or a ceremony, the law gives that gathering a measure of protection, so that it can go on without deliberate interference. The offence is about the disturbance, not about any later damage.
Typical situations include:
- Interrupting a prayer meeting, puja, namaz, or mass that is lawfully in progress.
- Creating a disturbance during a religious ceremony or procession.
- Any voluntary act that disrupts a lawful assembly engaged in worship.
The assembly must be lawful, and the disturbance must be voluntary, meaning done on purpose.
02What the offence is (answer first)
Disturbing a religious assembly is an offence under Section 300 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. It replaced Section 296 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The BNS came into force on 1 July 2024.
The section punishes a person who voluntarily causes disturbance to any assembly lawfully engaged in the performance of religious worship, or religious ceremonies.
The law protects worship in progress: a voluntary disturbance of a lawful religious assembly is an offence in itself.
The focus is on the gathering and its activity. If the assembly is lawful and engaged in worship or ceremony, a deliberate disturbance of it falls within the section.
03A note on the section number
Take care with the number. In the BNS, disturbing a religious assembly is Section 300. The next section, Section 301, is a different offence: trespassing on burial places and the like (which replaced the old IPC Section 297). People sometimes look for the disturbance offence under 301, but the correct number is 300.
Read the title, not just the number
When the IPC became the BNS, many numbers changed. The safe habit is to read the title of the section. Disturbing a religious assembly is BNS Section 300 (old IPC 296); trespassing on burial places is BNS Section 301 (old IPC 297).
04From IPC 296 to BNS 300: what changed
This offence carried over from the IPC to the BNS without a change in substance or punishment.
| Point | Old law (IPC Section 296) | New law (BNS Section 300) |
|---|---|---|
| Conduct covered | Voluntarily disturbing a lawful religious assembly | Same |
| Maximum imprisonment | Up to 1 year | Up to 1 year |
| Fine | Fine, or both | Fine, or both |
So the offence and its punishment are the same. The change is the section number.
05What the prosecution must show
- A religious assembly: a gathering engaged in religious worship or a religious ceremony.
- Lawfully engaged: the assembly was lawful, not itself unlawful or banned.
- Voluntary disturbance: the accused caused a disturbance to it on purpose, not by accident.
Because the assembly must be lawful, a dispute may arise over whether the gathering itself was permitted. The facts of the time, place, and permission can therefore matter.
06Punishment and classification
The punishment under Section 300 of the BNS is imprisonment of either description for a term that may extend to one year, or a fine, or both.
| Item | Position under BNS Section 300 |
|---|---|
| Maximum imprisonment | One year (simple or rigorous) |
| Fine | Fine, or both, in addition to or instead of imprisonment |
| Cognizable or non-cognizable | Cognizable |
| Bailable or non-bailable | Bailable |
| Triable by | Any Magistrate |
Confirm the classification against the First Schedule of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) as it stands on the date of the case.
07Related offences relating to religion
Section 300 sits with the other BNS offences that protect religious life:
- injuring or defiling a place of worship (Section 298, the old 295).
- deliberate acts to outrage religious feelings (Section 299, the old 295A).
- uttering words to wound religious feelings (Section 302, the old 298).
08Where 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.
Cases under this section often turn on whether the assembly was lawful and whether the disturbance was deliberate, and the old Section 296 rulings still guide that reading. Claw lets you look through more than 30 crore judgments in seconds to see how courts have weighed these elements, drawing on Supreme Court decisions since 1950 and High Court decisions since 1990. You can also keep an eye on a live matter under this section, following the cases, orders and hearings across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, with results in under five seconds. Claw does not use your case documents to train its AI models.
Open a free Claw account to begin reading religious-assembly rulings or to follow a live complaint by party or advocate name. For the wider picture, see case search across Indian courts.
09Sources and further reading
- India Code (official text of central Acts): indiacode.nic.in
- BNS Section 300 (disturbing religious assembly): devgan.in
- BNS Chapter XVI (offences relating to religion): 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.
10Frequently asked questions
Which BNS section covers disturbing a religious assembly?
Section 300 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 covers voluntarily disturbing an assembly lawfully engaged in religious worship or ceremonies. It replaced Section 296 of the Indian Penal Code and came into force on 1 July 2024.
Is it BNS Section 300 or 301?
Disturbing a religious assembly is Section 300 (old IPC 296). Section 301 of the BNS is a different offence, trespassing on burial places and the like (old IPC 297). People sometimes search for the disturbance offence under 301, but the correct number is 300.
What is the punishment under BNS Section 300?
Imprisonment of either description for up to one year, or a fine, or both. This is the same punishment as the old IPC Section 296.
Does the assembly have to be lawful?
Yes. The section protects an assembly that is lawfully engaged in religious worship or ceremonies. If the gathering itself was not lawful, that can become a point of dispute in the case.
Is the offence under Section 300 bailable?
Public sources list it as cognizable, bailable, and triable by any Magistrate. Always confirm the classification against the First Schedule of the BNSS as it stands on the date of the case.
How can I find judgments on disturbing a religious assembly?
You can search the case law on Claw, running across more than 30 crore judgments in seconds, covering the Supreme Court since 1950 and the High Courts since 1990, to see how courts have read the lawful-assembly and voluntary-disturbance elements. Live matters under Section 300 can be followed across 9,102 courts, benches and forums by party or advocate name. A free Claw account lets you start.