BNS Reference / Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
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Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

Currency & stamps

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All offences

12 entries · In section order

Offences, punishments, bail status, arrest classifications and trial courts. Select a section to read every entry under that section.
SectionOffencePunishmentBail statusArrest classificationTrial court
Section 178

Counterfeiting coins, government stamps, currency-notes or bank-notes.
Imprisonment for life, or imprisonment for 10 years and fine.
Non-bailable
Cognizable
Court of Session.
Section 179

Using as genuine forged or counterfeit coin, Government stamp currency-notes or bank-notes.
Imprisonment for life, or imprisonment for 10 years and fine.
Non-bailable
Cognizable
Court of Session.
Section 180

Possession of forged or counterfeit coin, Government stamp, currency-notes or bank-notes.
Imprisonment for 7 years, or fine, or both.
Non-bailable
Cognizable
Court of Session.
Section 181

Making, buying, selling or possessing machinery, instrument or material for forging or counterfeiting coins, Government stamp, currency-notes or bank-notes.
Imprisonment for life, or imprisonment for 10 years and fine.
Non-bailable
Cognizable
Court of Session.
Section 182(1)

Making or using documents resembling currency-notes or bank-notes.
Fine of 300 rupees.
Bailable
Non-cognizable
Any Magistrate.
Section 182(2)

On refusal to disclose the name and address of the printer.

Read together with the other entries in Section 182.
Fine of 600 rupees.
Bailable
Non-cognizable
Any Magistrate.
Section 183

Effacing any writing from a substance bearing a Government stamp, removing from a document a stamp used for it, with intent to cause a loss to Government.
Imprisonment for 3 years, or fine, or both.
Bailable
Cognizable
Magistrate of the first class.
Section 184

Using a Government stamp known to have been before used.
Imprisonment for 2 years, or fine, or both.
Bailable
Cognizable
Any Magistrate.
Section 185

Erasure of mark denoting that stamps have been used.
Imprisonment for 3 years, or fine, or both.
Bailable
Cognizable
Magistrate of the first class.
Section 186

Fictitious stamps.
Fine of 200 rupees.
Bailable
Cognizable
Any Magistrate.
Section 187

Person employed in a Mint causing coin to be of a different weight or composition from that fixed by law.
Imprisonment for 7 years and fine.
Non-bailable
Cognizable
Magistrate of the first class.
Section 188

Unlawfully taking from a Mint any coining instrument.
Imprisonment for 7 years and fine.
Non-bailable
Cognizable
Magistrate of the first class.
All 12 entries shownBack to top ↑
BNS Reference

Original central BNSS First Schedule. Classification summaries, not the full statutory text. Later amendments and state variations are not consolidated here.

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Offence & punishment

The offence summary and punishment listed in the schedule. Read any conditions or alternative entries under the same section.

Bail status

Shows whether the schedule lists the offence as bailable, non-bailable, or dependent on another offence.

Arrest classification

The legal term is cognizability. “Cognizable” means a police officer may arrest without warrant. “Non-cognizable” means a police officer shall not arrest without warrant. Conditions are shown in full.

Trial court

The court specified in the schedule. “Magistrate of the first class” and “any Magistrate” exclude Executive Magistrates.

Coverage

465 BNS classification entries across 288 sections, plus three general classification bands for offences under other laws.

What is included

The original central BNSS First Schedule: offence summaries, punishment summaries, cognizability, bailability and trial courts. This is not the full BNS text or a case-law collection. Later amendments, commencement changes and state variations are not consolidated here.

Read each condition

Different entries under the same section may have different classifications. A status may depend on the offence, the complainant or another condition. The full wording appears with each entry.

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