Making or using documents resembling currency-notes or bank-notes
Section 489E of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 deals with making or using documents resembling currency-notes or bank-notes. Whoever makes, or causes to be made, or uses for any purpose whatsoever, or delivers to any person, any document purporting to be, or in any way resembling, or so nearly resembling as to be calculated to deceive, any currency-note or bank-note shall be punished with fine which may extend to one hund 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 Repealed by section 358 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024, but conduct before that date is still charged, tried and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.
(1) Whoever makes, or causes to be made, or uses for any purpose whatsoever, or delivers to any person, any document purporting to be, or in any way resembling, or so nearly resembling as to be calculated to deceive, any currency-note or bank-note shall be punished with fine which may extend to one hundred rupees.
(2) If any person, whose name appears on a document the making of which is an offence under sub-section (1), refuses, without lawful excuse, to disclose to a police-officer on being so required the name and address of the person by whom it was printed or otherwise made, he shall be punished with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees.
(3) Where the name of any person appears on any document in
respect of which any person is charged with an offence under sub- section (1) or on any other document used or distributed in connection with that document it may, until the contrary is proved, be presumed that that person caused the document to be made.]
CHAPTER XIX
OF THE CRIMINAL BREACH OF CONTRACTS OF SERVICE
CHAPTER XIX
OF THE CRIMINAL BREACH OF CONTRACTS OF SERVICE
Section 489E, The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Act 45 of 1860).
Now in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
BNS 182 Making or using documents resembling currency-notes or bank-notes 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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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.
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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Jiyabur Rahman vs The State of Assam
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
After rejection of an application for pre-arrest bail under Section 438 CrPC on merits, a subsequent bail application can only be entertained if there is a material change in the fact situation or in law which requires the earlier view to be interfered with or where the earlier finding has become obsolete. Mere availability of a forensic report on seized counterfeit currency notes, when the underlying facts and evidence were already considered in the earlier rejection, does not constitute such material change.
On this section: Possession of equipment for making counterfeit notes; petitioner charged with possession of FICN making machine
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Lal Singh vs State of Rajasthan through Pp
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
When an accused has been in custody for a considerable period, the challan has been presented, trial conclusion may take substantial time, and there is no evidence of prior criminal involvement or other criminal cases, bail should be granted under Section 439 CrPC, subject to satisfaction of the trial court, without expressing opinion on the merits of the case.
On this section: Possession of materials or implements for counterfeiting currency
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.
Questions about Section 489E
What have the courts held on Section 489E of the Indian Penal Code?
Jiyabur Rahman vs The State of Assam (17 Feb 2023) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Possession of equipment for making counterfeit notes; petitioner charged with possession of FICN making machine. Another 1 judgment on this section is set out below. They run from 2017 to 2023.
How do I find court cases under Section 489E 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 489E, section 489E IPC, section 489E of the Indian Penal Code. People searching for it also type ipc 489a to 489e. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 2 reported judgments on this section are set out on this page, beginning with Jiyabur Rahman vs The State of Assam (17 Feb 2023).
What should I read with Section 489E of the Indian Penal Code, and has it changed?
For anything done on or after 1 July 2024 the provision to read is BNS 182 (Making or using documents resembling currency-notes or bank-notes), which replaced it; conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under this section.
When did Section 489E of the Indian Penal Code come into force?
Section 489E of the Indian Penal Code, cited as IPC 489E, 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.