VK News Today https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html Scorpio Horoscope Today, July 19, 2026: Use changed plans wisely, and ask for help instead of struggling alone From Texas to California, US data centre protests go nationwide amid AI infrastructure boom Libra Horoscope Today, July 19, 2026: Try not to answer every provocation Virgo Horoscope Today, July 19, 2026: Work and business can move very well US military death toll in Iran war rises to 16 after two troops killed in Jordan Leo Horoscope Today, July 19, 2026: Spend only where needed NDA ranks boosted as Om Birla okays 6 rebel UBT MPs joining Shiv Sena NEW DELHI: Drawing a distinction between using abuse language and the offence of obscenity, Supreme Court has said that use of mere swear words, profanities and vulgar expletives, however distasteful or uncivil they may be, cannot be equated with obscenity and is not an offence. It set aside conviction under Section 294 for a person who had used abusive slurs for mother and sister during an altercation.A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Vipul M Pancholi said obscenity which is an offence under IPC is not synonymous with “vulgarity”, “abuse” or “profanity”. “Words which are merely vulgar or abusive may evoke a feeling of disgust, revulsion or shock, but that by itself does not make them obscene in law. It is for this reason that this Court, through various judicial pronouncements, has held that the use of abusive, vulgar or profane language does not necessarily constitute obscenity. Abusive words lacked lascivious element: SC This Court in Samaresh Bose v. Amal Mitra case, while considering a Bengali novel, held that the use of slang, unconventional words or vulgar language may create a feeling of disgust or revulsion, but that does not necessarily amount to obscenity,” the bench said.It said the test to determine whether the words complained of are obscene or not is to see whether the words fulfil three ingredients – (i) it should be lascivious; (ii) appeals to prurient interests of people; and (iii) has a tendency to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely to see, hear or read it. “Further, it must also be shown that the use of such words has caused annoyance to others. Unless presence of essential ingredients is established, the offence of obscenity cannot be said to be made out,” the court said while examining the ambit of Section 294Section 294 says Whoever, to the annoyance of others, (a) does any obscene act in any public place, or (b) sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months. The court said that in order to constitute an offence under the Section, the words uttered must contain some lascivious element capable of arousing sexual thoughts or feelings and must further be shown to have caused annoyance to others.”In the present case, during an altercation, the appellant allegedly uttered: ‘Hey Mother…r! You son of a w….e! Are you coming in support of your elder sister’s son? Just f…k off, you ‘K….a’ F…r’…’. It is this which is sought to be invoked under Section 294(b) of the IPC. Going by the version of Prosecution witnesses-1 himself, the words and verbal slang used by the appellant were, at best, abusive or vulgar in nature. The Collins English Dictionary defines the word “abusive” as a language which ‘is extremely rude and insulting’ Whereas the word ‘vulgar’ is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “rude and likely to upset or anger people, especially by referring to sex and the body in an unpleasant way” These definitions clearly show that words may be insulting, offensive or unpleasant without necessarily being obscene in law,” the bench said.”For an utterance to be considered obscene, it must be shown that it was lascivious, appealed to prurient interests and had the tendency to deprave and corrupt the minds of those who are exposed to it. Tested on this anvil, even if all the allegations levelled in the complaint are taken at their face value and accepted to be true in entirety, the same cannot be held to be obscene. Such words, howsoever abusive, unpalatable or uncivil, do not satisfy the requirement of Section 294(b) IPC for there being nothing on record to show that they had any one or all three elements referred to hereinabove. Further, it is nobody’s case that use of such words causes annoyance to others in a public place, which is a mandatory ingredient of the Section, much less to the complainant . In absence thereof, we find that the offence under Section 294(b) IPC is not made out,” the bench said.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosJantar Mantar Ground Report: What’s Happening at CJP Protest Site After Sonam Wangchuk’s Removal?’Police Beat Us, Dragged Sonam Sir Away Like a Sack’: Eyewitnesses Describe How Wangchuk Was RemovedMHA Replaces Delhi Police Chief, Hours Later Sonam Wangchuk ‘Forcefully Removed’ From Jantar MantarDMK’s ‘Not Yet’ on Delimitation Bill Boosts NDA Hope for Two-Thirds Majority In Lok Sabha | StalinSC Says Election Commission Cannot Decide Citizenship, Seeks Replies From WB Govt And ECBulldozers Roll In As TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s Amtala Office Faces Demolition | West BengalVikram-1 Reaches Orbit, Making India A Global Leader In Private Space Launch Capability | WatchNCP-NCP(SP) Merger Buzz Grows As BJP Eyes Stronger NDA Ahead Of Crucial Parliament VotesCJP’s Abhijeet Dipke Begins Indefinite Hunger Strike After Sonam Wangchuk Is HospitalisedSonam Wangchuk’s Wife Opposes Medical Treatment Without Consent; Abhijeet Dipke Begins Hunger Strike123PhotostoriesTwo seeds that can boost hair growth instantlyThink cataracts only happen after 60? Doctor warns that diabetes is making this eye condition appear decades earlierWhen words wound: Five phrases in a relationship that quietly kill new love”I have replaced rice with…”: National award winner Yam Gautam enjoys this fiber-rich seed for lunch and dinner; 8 ways you can enjoy it tooYou may be ageing your brain without knowing it: Neurologists reveal how poor sleep and everyday habits could affect memory and cognitive healthYou can lose up to 80% of kidney function without knowing it: Doctors explain the warning signs of chronic kidney disease6 historic colonial-era homes in India that stand as timeless architectural treasuresAnne Hathaway’s houses: A look inside the ‘Odyssey’ star’s most notable properties over the yearsFrom ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ to ‘The Green Knight’: Top 5 dark fantasy movies to add to your watch listFrom blue streets to yellow houses; 7 colourful towns around the world that look straight out of a fairytale123Hot PicksFIFA World Cup LiveNITI AayogSonam Wangchuk educationAIBE XXI resultAbhijeet DipkeAMRUT 2.0 water projectISRO scientists resignMahadev betting appSkyroot AerospaceTop TrendingKolkata Airport Mosque BanMurshidabad School Van AccidentFIFA World Cup 2026Mangaluru MurderCJP Hunger StrikeAndhra Pradesh Covid 19 DeathNEET ResultIshowspeedGujarat RapeIran war Skyroot puts first private rocket in orbit & India in elite club; Vikram-1 delivers 6 payloads after 35-minute delay | India News Gemini Horoscope Today, July 19, 2026: A calm mind works better than a pressured one 2 US service members killed, 1 missing after Iranian attack on Jordan base, says Pentagon Meet Indian-origin tech leader Uday Ruddaraju, who has become OpenAI’s CTO of Compute Another House panel defers edu reforms report adoption; move seen as part of govt’s outreach to oppn for delimit bill support | India News Yash calls Ramayana India’s dream project, says Ranbir Kapoor ‘has surrendered himself’ to Lord Ram; praises Sai Pallavi as a ‘flawless actor’ | Hindi Movie News India flags cross-border terror threat at US meet | India News Medical colleges to decide own faculty appointments, promotions: National Medical Commission | India News Cancer Horoscope Today, July 19, 2026: Marriage and committed relationships look steady rather than dreamy As Volkswagen puts 100 sheep to work at its plant in Europe, director Marzena Pillich-Gronska says: Sheep project demonstrates that modern industry can … Quote of the day by Jimmy Carter: ‘We should live our lives as though Christ were coming this afternoon’ CBSE 2nd Board results: 3 lakh students improve scores | India News ‘I need help’: Spain World Cup winner appeals directly to President Donald Trump after US entry denial | Football News Who was Lachit Borphukan? Assam CM says Dhurandhar director Aditya Dhar has been approached for biopic on the Ahom commander who defeated the Mughals | Hindi Movie News How much prize money does the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place winner get? Full payout explained | Football News Rs 70,000 cr investments proposed for def corridors in UP, TN; Rs 10,000 crore already invested: Rajnath | India News Taurus Horoscope Today, July 19, 2026: Trust your preparation, and keep your evening free for meaningful company Mehbooba rejects Farooq’s invite to join Jantar Mantar protest; Engineer Rashid to walk barefoot in solidarity | India News School holiday extended in Kashmir, Amarnath yatra suspended as Met forecasts downpour | India News Partial shutdown in Doda, Kishtwar over man’s death in run-in with cops | India News Quote of the day by Boris Johnson: ‘My policy on cake is pro having it and pro eating it’ and how it became a key phrase of Brexit Army opens fire after observing suspicious movement along LoC In J-K’s Rajouri | India News Aries Horoscope Today, July 19, 2026: Singles may feel drawn to someone intelligent NCB seizes 5kg heroin smuggled from Pakistan in Poonch, 1 held | India News Skyroot’s orbital launch: India’s own SpaceX is born, startup to give country an alternative for satellite launches | India News ‘Love affair, snakebite, Rs 20 lakh insurance’: How UP woman, lover plotted husband’s murder; 4 arrested India rolls out ‘White Rabbit’ tech to secure Indian Standard Time network: What it means | India News I was discouraged from taking bold decision to privatise space sector, today you proved me right: PM Modi to Skyroot after Vikram-1 successful launch | India News Horoscope Today: Daily astrological predictions for July 19, 2026 Former NHL defenseman Mike Commodore raises fresh concerns during Edmonton Oilers development camp with parents warned | NHL News ‘Are you comfortable with daily late evening calls?’ Techie who returned to India from US shocked to see this question on online application Arun Govil recalls being rejected for Lord Ram before landing iconic role in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan; opens up on playing King Dasharath in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana | NFL Trade Rumor: Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons emerge as top landing spots for $4M New England Patriots’ star | NFL News Quote of the day by Socrates’ student Plato: “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is…” – a powerful warning about political apathy, civic responsibility and the consequences of staying silent | World News Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Gavin McKenna spotted training with San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini in Vancouver offseason NHL training session ‘She was helping pay my fees’: Sister of Indian woman stabbed to death in London demands justice Watch: Farmers protest against bullet train hub land fencing in Telangana, throw chilli powder at police | Hyderabad News Iran Supreme Leader’s message to US: Mojtaba Khamenei calls Trump’s signature worthless, issues new warning Can a biopsy really make cancer spread? Oncologist explains why this decades-old myth is still putting lives at risk | ‘Entire BJP trembling with fear’: Prashant Kishor on Bankipur assembly bypoll | India News Ranbir Kapoor pays heartfelt tribute to Arun Govil at Ramayana – Pratham Sankalp: ‘I have grown up carrying Shri Ram’s blessings’ | ‘Jam stretches nearly 4-5km’: High-voltage power line crashes onto Delhi-Jaipur highway, traffic hit for over 2 hours | Gurgaon News