IPC 504 vs BNS 504
● Retained in BNSIntentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace
Section 504 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, deals with intentional insult intended to provoke someone to commit a breach of peace. The law recognizes that provoking violence or public disorder through insults is a punishable offence.
Key points:
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Punishment: Imprisonment up to 2 years, or fine, or both.
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Applies to words, gestures, or acts intended to insult and provoke anger.
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Ensures maintenance of public order and discourages personal disputes from escalating into violence.
For example, if a person deliberately insults another in a way that is likely to provoke them to commit an assault, it falls under IPC 504. The law aims to prevent escalation of conflicts and maintain societal peace by holding provocateurs accountable.
Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace
Section 504 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, mirrors IPC 504. It criminalizes deliberate insults intended to provoke someone into committing a breach of peace, maintaining the same scope, intent, and punishment.
Key aspects of BNS 504:
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Punishment: Up to 2 years imprisonment, or fine, or both, same as IPC 504.
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Covers insults via speech, gestures, or conduct that can provoke violence.
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Focuses on preventing escalation of personal disputes into public disorder.
BNS 504 continues the principles of IPC 504, ensuring that acts intended to provoke breaches of peace are recognized as criminal offences, thereby maintaining law and order.
What changed?
This provision was carried over to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita with substantially the same wording — the section was renumbered from IPC IPC 504 to BNS BNS 504.