Section 301 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (formerly Section 297 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860)…

Section 301 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (formerly Section 297 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860) relates to 'Trespassing on burial places, etc.' It punishes whoever, with the intention of wounding the feelings of any person or of insulting the religion of any person, or with the knowledge that the feelings of any person are likely to be wounded or that the religion of any person is likely to be insulted thereby, commits any trespass in any place of worship or on any place of sepulture, or any place set apart for the performance of funeral rites or as a depository for the remains of the dead, or offers any indignity to any human corpse, or causes disturbance to any persons assembled for the performance of funeral ceremonies. In contrast, injuring or defiling a place of worship falls under Section 298 BNS (formerly Section 295 IPC), disturbing a religious assembly falls under Section 300 BNS (formerly Section 296 IPC), and uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings falls under Section 302 BNS (formerly Section 298 IPC).