Section 179 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023
Section 179 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 addresses the offense of using or trafficking forged or counterfeit currency, coins, government stamps, or banknotes.(
📜 Text of Section 179
Section 179. Using as genuine, forged or counterfeit coin, Government stamp, currency-notes or bank-notes
Whoever imports or exports, or sells or delivers to, or buys or receives from, any other person, or otherwise traffics or uses as genuine, any forged or counterfeit coin, stamp, currency-note or bank-note, knowing or having reason to believe the same to be forged or counterfeit, 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.
⚖️ Key Provisions
Offense Description: Engaging in activities such as importing, exporting, selling, delivering, buying, receiving, trafficking, or using as genuine any forged or counterfeit coin, stamp, currency-note, or bank-note.
Knowledge Requirement: The individual must know, or have reason to believe, that the item is forged or counterfeit.
Punishment: Imprisonment for life, or imprisonment for a term up to ten years, along with a fine.
🔍 Comparison with Indian Penal Code (IPC)
Section 179 of the BNS consolidates and replaces several provisions from the IPC related to counterfeit currency and stamps, including
Section 237: Import or export of counterfeit coin
Section 238: Import or export of counterfeits of the Indian coin(
Section 239: Delivery of coin possessed with knowledge that it is counterfeit
Section 240: Delivery of Indian coin, possessed with knowledge that it is counterfeit
Section 241: Delivery of coin as genuine, which, when first possessed, the deliverer did not know to be counterfeit
Section 489B: Using as genuine, forged or counterfeit currency-notes or bank-notes
The BNS has streamlined these provisions into a single section, increasing the severity of punishments to deter such offenses.
⚠️ Illustrative Example
If an individual knowingly uses a counterfeit ₹500 note to purchase goods, or sells such notes to others, they would be committing an offense under Section 179 of the BNS, 2023.
For more detailed information, you can refer to the official text of Section 179 on
RELATED Blog
0 comments