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Thursday, 12 November 2026 Judgments, law jobs and study notes, written by a practising advocate
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter XVIII: Of Offences Relating To Documents And To Property Marks

Section 337 BNS: Forgery of record of Court or of public register, etc

Corresponding IPC
Section 466 IPC
Punishment
Imprisonment up to 7 years, and fine
Note
Expressly adds Government identity documents such as voter ID and Aadhaar, and electronic registers.

Classification of offence

SectionCognizable?Bailable?Triable by
337Non-cognizableNon-bailableMagistrate of the first class

As per the First Schedule to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

Bare Act text

Whoever forges a document or an electronic record, purporting to be a record or proceeding of or in a Court or an identity document issued by Government including voter identity card or Aadhaar Card, or a register of birth, marriage or burial, or a register kept by a public servant as such, or a certificate or document purporting to be made by a public servant in his official capacity, or an authority to institute or defend a suit, or to take any proceedings therein, or to confess judgment, or a power of attorney, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, “register” includes any list, data or record of any entries maintained in the electronic form as defined in clause (r) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (21 of 2000).

Text as enacted in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Act No. 45 of 2023), in force from 1 July 2024. Source: India Code, Government of India.

In simple words

Punishes forgery of court records or proceedings, Government identity documents (including voter ID and Aadhaar), birth, marriage or burial registers, public servant registers or certificates, authority to conduct suits, and powers of attorney.

Chapter XVIII: Of Offences Relating To Documents And To Property Marks

  1. 335 Making a false document
  2. 336 Forgery
  3. 337 Forgery of record of Court or of public register, etc
  4. 338 Forgery of valuable security, will, etc
  5. 339 Having possession of document described in section 337 or section 338, knowing it to be forged and intending to use it as genuine
  6. 340 Forged document or electronic record and using it as genuine
  7. 341 Making or possessing counterfeit seal, etc., with intent to commit forgery punishable under section 338
  8. 342 Counterfeiting device or mark used for authenticating documents described in section 338, or possessing counterfeit marked material
  9. 343 Fraudulent cancellation, destruction, etc., of will, authority to adopt, or valuable security
  10. 344 Falsification of accounts
  11. 345 Property mark
  12. 346 Tampering with property mark with intent to cause injury
  13. 347 Counterfeiting a property mark
  14. 348 Making or possession of any instrument for counterfeiting a property mark
  15. 349 Selling goods marked with a counterfeit property mark
  16. 350 Making a false mark upon any receptacle containing goods
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