BNS Section 181: Making or possessing instruments or materials for forging or counterfeiting coin, Government stamp, currency-notes or bank-notes
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter 10: Of Offences Relating to Coin, Currency-notes, Bank-notes, and - Government Stamps
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¶181. Whoever makes or mends, or performs any part of the process of making or mending, or buys or sells or disposes of, or has in his possession, any machinery, die, or instrument or material for the purpose of being used, or knowing or having reason to believe that it is intended to be used, for forging or counterfeiting any coin, stamp issued by Government for the purpose of revenue, currency-note or bank-note, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Study: explanations and related material
Replaces IPC 233, IPC 234, IPC 235, IPC 256, IPC 257, IPC 489D. IPC → BNS converterSource: BPR&D BNS–IPC corresponding section table (UP Police, 2024-06-28)
Punishment, bail and trial
181Making, buying, selling or possessing machinery, instrument or material for forging or counterfeiting coins, Government stamp, currency-notes or bank-notes.
- Punishment
- Imprisonment for life, or imprisonment for 10 years and fine.
- Cognizable or not
- Cognizable
- Bailable or not
- Non‑bailable
- Triable by
- Court of Session
Source: BNSS First Schedule, Gazette of India, 25 December 2023, p. 170. The Schedule gives the substance of the section, not its full definition, and a State may have amended the classification for its territory. See it in the full First Schedule
Official reference: Ministry of Home Affairs: Gazette text, 25 December 2023 — source link checked: 2 October 2026.Recorded edition / snapshot date: 2024-07-01.Mobile-app reference import; the recorded snapshot date is not a fresh legal-currency guarantee. The linked government text is an independent authoritative reference, not certification that this website reproduces the same edition. The source link was checked, not every provision or subsequent amendment. Check commencement notifications, savings and jurisdiction-specific variations separately.
This text is for reference, not legal advice. Consult the official source for the authoritative text.
Other sections in this chapter
- 178. Counterfeiting coin, Government stamps, currency-notes or bank-notes
- 179. Using as genuine, forged or counterfeit coin, Government stamp, currency-notes or bank-notes
- 180. Possession of forged or counterfeit coin, Government stamp, currency-notes or bank-notes
- 182. Making or using documents resembling currency-notes or bank-notes
- 183. Effacing writing from substance bearing Government stamp, or removing from document a stamp used for it, with intent to cause loss to Government
- 184. Using Government stamp known to have been before used
- 185. Erasure of mark denoting that stamp has been used
- 186. Prohibition of fictitious stamps
- 187. Person employed in mint causing coin to be of different weight or composition from that fixed by law
- 188. Unlawfully taking coining instrument from mint