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.
Section 179 BNS: Using as genuine, forged or counterfeit coin, Government stamp, currency-notes or bank-notes
- Corresponding IPC
- Section 237, 238, 241, 260, 489B IPC
- Punishment
- Imprisonment for life, or up to 10 years, and fine
- Note
- Merges several IPC sections on trafficking in or using forged coin, stamps and notes.
Classification of offence
| Section | Cognizable? | Bailable? | Triable by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 179 | Cognizable | Non-bailable | Court of Session |
As per the First Schedule to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
Bare Act text
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 importing, exporting, selling, delivering, buying, receiving, trafficking or using as genuine any forged or counterfeit coin, stamp, currency note or bank-note, knowing or having reason to believe it to be forged.
Chapter X: Of Offences Relating To Coin, Currency-notes, Bank-notes, And Government Stamps
- 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
- 181 Making or possessing instruments or materials for forging or counterfeiting 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