Prohibition of fictitious stamps
Section 186 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 deals with prohibition of fictitious stamps. Whoever—. (a) makes, knowingly utters, deals in or sells any fictitious stamp, or knowingly uses for any postal purpose any fictitious stamp; The Act came into force on 01 Jul 2024.
(1) Whoever—.
(a) makes, knowingly utters, deals in or sells any fictitious stamp, or knowingly uses for any postal purpose any fictitious stamp; or.
(b) has in his possession, without lawful excuse, any fictitious stamp; or.
(c) makes or, without lawful excuse, has in his possession any die, plate, instrument or materials for making any fictitious stamp, shall be punished with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees.
(2) Any such stamp, die, plate, instrument or materials in the possession of any person for making any fictitious stamp may be seized and, if seized shall be forfeited.
(3) In this section “fictitious stamp” means any stamp falsely purporting to be issued by Government for the purpose of denoting a rate of postage, or any facsimile or imitation or representation, whether on paper or otherwise, of any stamp issued by Government for that purpose.
(4) In this section and also in sections 178 to 181 (both inclusive), and sections 183 to 185 (both inclusive) the word “Government”, when used in connection with, or in reference to any stamp issued for the purpose of denoting a rate of postage, shall, notwithstanding anything in clause (12) of section 2, be deemed to include the person or persons authorised by law to administer executive Government in any part of India or in any foreign country.
Section 186, The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Act 45 of 2023).
Replaces a provision of the Indian Penal Code
IPC 263A Prohibition of fictitious stamps Text carried over almost unchanged 95%
Measured by comparing the text of the two provisions, not taken from an official correspondence table — there is no machine-readable one. See both texts side by side before relying on it.
Both regimes are live. The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force. We never redirect one to the other.
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
- s. 2 Definitions
- s. 178 Counterfeiting coin, Government stamps, currency-notes or bank-notes
- s. 181 Making or possessing instruments or materials for forging or counterfeiting coin, Government stamp, currency-notes or bank-notes
- s. 183 Effacing writing from substance bearing Government stamp, or removing from document a stamp used for it, with intent to cause loss to Government
- s. 185 Erasure of mark denoting that stamp has been used
How this offence is classified
From the First Schedule to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, which classifies every offence under the Sanhita. Cognizable means a police officer may arrest without warrant; bailable means bail is a matter of right rather than of the court's discretion.
| Offence | Punishment | Cognizable | Bailable | Triable by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fictitious stamps. | Fine of 200 rupees. | Cognizable. | Bailable. | Any Magistrate. |
Questions about Section 186
What does Section 186 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita deal with?
Section 186 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita is headed "Prohibition of fictitious stamps". Whoever—. (a) makes, knowingly utters, deals in or sells any fictitious stamp, or knowingly uses for any postal purpose any fictitious stamp;
Is Section 186 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita bailable?
Bailable, under the First Schedule to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
Is Section 186 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita cognizable?
Cognizable. "Cognizable" means a police officer may arrest without warrant; "non-cognizable" that they may not. An offence under this section is triable by Any Magistrate.
How do I find court cases under Section 186 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: BNS 186, section 186 BNS, section 186 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. People searching for it also type 186 bns act and 186 bns in ipc. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.
What should I read with Section 186 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 2 (Definitions), section 178 (Counterfeiting coin, Government stamps, currency-notes or bank-notes), section 181 (Making or possessing instruments or materials for forging or counterfeiting coin, Government stamp, currency-notes or bank-notes), section 183 (Effacing writing from substance bearing Government stamp, or removing from document a stamp used for it, with intent to cause loss to Government), and on 1 further provision, so none of them can safely be read on its own. It carries forward IPC 263A (Prohibition of fictitious stamps), so the judgments decided under that provision are the case law on this one.
When did Section 186 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita come into force?
Section 186 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, cited as BNS 186, came into force on 01 Jul 2024, having been enacted on 25 Dec 2023. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 2. Definitions2199 words
- 356. Defamation1543 words
- 335. Making a false document1318 words
- 101. Murder1177 words
- 303. Theft1104 words
- 3. General explanations858 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.