Making or possessing counterfeit seal, etc., with intent to commit forgery punishable otherwise
Section 473 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 deals with making or possessing counterfeit seal, etc., with intent to commit forgery punishable otherwise. Whoever makes or counterfeits any seal, plate or other instrument for making an impression, intending that the same shall be used for the purpose of committing any forgery which would be punishable under any section of this Chapter other than section 467, or, with such intent, has in his possession The Act came into force on 01 Jan 1862. Repealed by section 358 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024, but conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under it.
Whoever makes or counterfeits any seal, plate or other instrument for making an impression, intending that the same shall be used for the purpose of committing any forgery which would be punishable under any section of this Chapter other than section 467, or, with such intent, has in his possession any such seal, plate or other instrument, knowing the same to be counterfeit, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Section 473, The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Act 45 of 1860).
Now in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
BNS 341 Making or possessing counterfeit seal, etc., with intent to commit forgery punishable under section 338 Text carried over almost unchanged 92%
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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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
Referred to by 5
- Code of Criminal Procedure s. 220 Trial for more than one offence
- Code of Criminal Procedure Act s. 220 Trial for more than one offence
- Code of Criminal Procedure s. 220 Trial for more than one offence
- Crpc 1973 s. 220 Trial for more than one offence
- Rajasthan Co-operative Societies Act s. 28 Disqualification of membership etc. of committees
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.
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Sagar vs Union Territory
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
A prisoner with an extensive criminal history involving multiple serious offences (dacoity, robbery, theft, forgery, and drug-related crimes) cannot be granted parole merely on the grounds of meeting family members or performing conjugal rights, particularly when the parole authority has reasonably determined that releasing such a prisoner would pose a potential danger to society.
On this section: Forgery - FIR No. 378 of 2014 against petitioner
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.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… But as we have come to the conclusion that the prosecution has failed to prove the charge of rape and abduction and his conviction has been confirmed only for the offences punishable under sections 302, 201, 328, 394, 417, 465, 468, 473 Indian Penal Code, though it cannot be denied that the charges proved against the accused are equally serious and abhorrent, but the magnitude of the culpability having been reduced, on account of his acquittal under section 376 and 366 of Indian Penal Code, in our opinion, the sentence also requires to be …
Questions about Section 473
What have the courts held on Section 473 of the Indian Penal Code?
Sagar vs Union Territory (04 Dec 2020) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Forgery - FIR No. 378 of 2014 against petitioner.
How do I find court cases under Section 473 of the Indian Penal Code?
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: IPC 473, section 473 IPC, section 473 of the Indian Penal Code. People searching for it also type ipc 473 punishment and 473 ipc in bns. 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 Sagar vs Union Territory (04 Dec 2020).
What should I read with Section 473 of the Indian Penal Code, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 467 (Forgery of valuable security, will, etc), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 5 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. For anything done on or after 1 July 2024 the provision to read is BNS 341 (Making or possessing counterfeit seal, etc., with intent to commit forgery punishable under section 338), which replaced it; conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under this section.
When did Section 473 of the Indian Penal Code come into force?
Section 473 of the Indian Penal Code, cited as IPC 473, came into force on 01 Jan 1862, having been enacted on 06 Oct 1860. It is no longer in force.
Other sections of this Act
- 499. Defamation1512 words
- 464. Making a false document1223 words
- 300. Murder1172 words
- 378. Theft980 words
- 108. Abettor745 words
- 403. Dishonest misappropriation of property727 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. Recovered from the consolidated text published by India Code (item 7b7d4fe6-206b-4e33-81f1-b98b018acaf6). This page is not a substitute for legal advice.