Whoever voluntarily causes or attempts to cause any person to do anything which that person is not legally bound to do, or to omit to do anything which he is legally entitled to do, by inducing or attempting to induce that person to believe that he or any person in whom he is interested will become or will be rendered by some act of the offender an object of Divine displeasure if he does not do the thing which it is the object of the offender to cause him to do, or if he does the thing which it is the object of the offender to cause him to omit, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.
Illustrations
(a) A sits dharna at Z’s door with the intention of causing it to be believed that, by so sitting, he renders Z an object of Divine displeasure.Ahas committed the offence defined in this section.
(b) A threatens Z that, unless Z performs a certain act, A will kill one of A’s own children, under such circumstances that the killing would be believed to render Z an object of Divine displeasure. A has committed the offence defined in this section.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 354
Section 354 penalises voluntarily causing or attempting to cause any person to do anything which that person is not legally bound to do, by inducing them to believe that they will become an object of divine displeasure (replacing Section 508 IPC).
Audio-video recordings of the exorcist, tantrik, or spiritual extortionist issuing curses or threats of death must be preserved and certified under Section 63 BSA.