Legal Provisions of Section 508 of Indian Penal Code, 1860.
Act caused by inducing person to believe that he will be rendered an object of Divine displeasure:
An act caused by inducing a person to believe that he will be rendered an object of divine displeasure has been made punishable under this section. The section states that whoever either voluntarily causes, or attempts to cause, any person to either do anything which that person is not legally bound to do, or to omit to do anything which he is entitled to do, by either inducing or attempting to induce that person to believe that he or any person in whom that person 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 is the object of the offender to cause him to do, or if he does the thing which it is object of the offender to cause him to omit, shall be punished with simple or rigorous imprisonment for a term extending up to one year, or with fine, or with both.
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ADVERTISEMENTS:
The section contemplates that the offender must either voluntarily cause or attempt to cause any person to do anything which that person is not legally bound to do, or to omit to do anything which he has a legal right to do. The offender must do this either by inducing or by attempting to induce that person to believe that either he or any person in whom he is interested will become or will be rendered by the offender’s act an object of divine displeasure if he does not do what the offender’s object is to cause him to do, or if he does what the offender’s object is to cause him to omit. Illustration (a) under this section has been criticised on the ground that it does not mention the thing which it is the offender’s object to cause to be done or omitted.
The offence under this section is non-cognizable, bailable and compoundable, and is triable by any magistrate.