Coin when a legal tender
Section 6 of the Coinage Act, 2011 deals with coin when a legal tender. The coins issued under the authority of section 4 shall be a legal tender in payment or on account, in case of-- (a) a coin of any denomination not lower than one rupee, for any sum not exceeding one thousand rupees; The Act came into force on 28 Mar 2012.
(1) The coins issued under the authority of section 4 shall be a legal tender in payment or on account, in case of--
(a) a coin of any denomination not lower than one rupee, for any sum not exceeding one thousand rupees;
(b) a half-rupee coin, for any sum not exceeding ten rupees;
(c) any other coin, for any sum not exceeding one rupee:
Provided that the coin has not been defaced and has not lost weight so as to be less than such weight as may be prescribed in its case.
(2) All new coins in the naya paisa series, designated as such under the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs, Number S.R.O. 1120, dated the 11th May, 1956 issued prior to the commencement of the Indian Coinage (Amendment) Act, 1964 (17 of 1964), shall continue to be a legal tender in payment or on account, in case of,--
(a) a half-rupee or fifty naye paise coin, for any sum not exceeding ten rupees;
(b) any other coin, for any sum not exceeding one rupee.
Section 6, The Coinage Act, 2011 (Act 11 of 2011).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
Referred to by 1
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
-
Nafis Qazi v. Union of India
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
DATE VERIFIED Final Order 2018-01-11 (order-12.pdf; Gita Mittal ACJ & C. Hari Shankar J.; get_order_ai_analysis DATE VERIFIED). Division Bench construed Coinage Act 2011 ss.2(a)–(c) (coin / commemorative coin / issuance), ss.3–4 and s.6: commemorative-coin issuance to mark significant occasions is within the Government’s statutory domain; mere religious symbols on commemorative coins do not, without discrimination/favoritism allegations, violate secularism; mandamus directing national policy/legislation on religious symbols on State property refused. RBI’s role under RBI Act s.22 is bank notes, not coin minting.
On this section: s.6 legal-tender status of Government-minted coins (including commemorative) underpins the Court’s refusal to withdraw circulating commemorative coins.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Made under this section, and citing it
2 instruments name this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.
Questions about Section 6
What have the courts held on Section 6 of the Coinage Act?
Nafis Qazi v. Union of India (11 Jan 2018) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: s.6 legal-tender status of Government-minted coins (including commemorative) underpins the Court’s refusal to withdraw circulating commemorative coins.
How do I find court cases under Section 6 of the Coinage Act?
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: Coinage Act 2011 6, section 6 Coinage Act 2011, section 6 of the Coinage Act. People searching for it also type coinage act 2011 section 6. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Nafis Qazi v. Union of India (11 Jan 2018).
What should I read with Section 6 of the Coinage Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 4 (Denominations, dimensions, designs and composition of coins), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it. 2 instruments name it without being made under it, most recently the Coinage (Issue of Commemorative coins on the occasion of 150th Birth Anniversary of Madan Mohan Malaviya) Rules, 2011 (2011), then the Coinage (Issue of Commemorative coins on the occasion of 150th year of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India) Rules, 2011. (2011).
When did Section 6 of the Coinage Act come into force?
Section 6 of the Coinage Act, cited as Coinage Act 2011 6, came into force on 28 Mar 2012, having been enacted on 01 Sep 2011. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 12. Prohibition of making or melting or destruction of coins358 words
- 2. Definitions291 words
- 27. Repeal and savings276 words
- 16. Offences by companies263 words
- 9. Power to certain persons to cut, diminished or defaced coins196 words
- 7. Decimal system of coinage153 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.