CHAPTER XVIII OF OFFENCES RELATING TO DOCUMENTSAND TO PROPERTY MARKS

Section 471: Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record

Repealed by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024.

Whoever fraudulently or dishonestly uses as genuine any ¹[document or electronic record] which he knows or has reason to believe to be a forged ¹[document or electronic record], shall be punished in the same manner as if he had forged such ¹[document or electronic record].

Footnotes in the official text

1.Subs. by Act 21 of 2000, s. 91 and the First Sch., for “document” (w.e.f. 17-10-2000).

Now in the BNS

As given in the official comparison tables of the Bureau of Police Research and Development and the Allahabad High Court (the NCRB table has no row for it). Read both texts before relying on it.

IPC 471

BNS 340(2)

Leading cases

Mohammed Ibrahim v. State of Bihar (2009)Executing a sale deed for land the executant claims as his own, though it is not his, is not making a false document under Section 464 IPC, so no forgery under Sections 467 and 471 arises.

Questions on this section

1 question in 5 of our papers cite Section 471. Try these from the free papers:

1. Consider the following statements under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023: 1. Forgery committed with the intention that the forged document shall be used for the purpose of cheating is punishable with imprisonment up to seven years, and fine. 2. Forgery committed with the intention that the forged document shall harm the reputation of any party is punishable with imprisonment up to three years, and fine. 3. Whoever fraudulently uses as genuine a document which he knows to be forged is punished in the same manner as if he had forged it. 4. Forgery simpliciter under Section 336(2) is punishable with imprisonment up to three years, or fine, or both. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Practise questions on Criminal Law