This law criminalized "deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs." Unlike Section 153A, which focused on inter-communal harmony, Section 295A focused purely on protecting religious sentiments from blasphemy and desecration. The Assassination of Rajpal
: Justice Dalip Singh acquitted Rajpal. The judge ruled that Section 153A was intended to prevent conflicts between living communities, but it did not explicitly prohibit historical analysis or polemical attacks against deceased religious figures, prophets, or saints. The Aftermath and Legal Legacy
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Ilm-ud-din was tried, sentenced to death, and executed. He became a folk hero for many Muslims, with massive crowds attending his funeral. This event solidified the book's place in history as a catalyst for communal violence.
It provided the blueprint for how modern South Asian states handle religious offense.
Explore the legal aspects of in colonial India.
Following widespread public outrage and mass protests by the Muslim community in Lahore, the British colonial government arrested Mahashe Rajpal in 1924. He was charged under of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalized promoting enmity between different classes of citizens. The case went through a protracted legal battle:
, which offensively depicted the Hindu goddess Sita. In retaliation, an anonymous author—later identified as Pandit Chamupati Rangeela Rasool