Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter XVIII: Of Offences Relating to Documents and to Property Marks
Section 338: Forgery of valuable security, will, etc
In plain words
Forging a valuable security, a will, an authority to adopt a son, a document authorising someone to transfer securities or receive money or property, or a receipt for money or property, is punishable with imprisonment for life or up to ten years, and a fine.
A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.
Read the in-depth explanation, with key Supreme Court rulings ↓
Official text
Whoever forges a document which purports to be a valuable security or a will, or an authority to adopt a son, or which purports to give authority to any person to make or transfer any valuable security, or to receive the principal, interest or dividends thereon, or to receive or deliver any money, movable property, or valuable security, or any document purporting to be an acquittance or receipt acknowledging the payment of money, or an acquittance or receipt for the delivery of any movable property or valuable security, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Corresponding sections were matched by comparing the wording of both official texts, and for the IPC and BNS, also against a published correspondence table. Wording, punishments and structure often changed, so read both sections before relying on the match.
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 25 August 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Understanding this section
Section 338 carries forward section 467 of the IPC: forgery of a valuable security, will, authority to adopt, or documents authorising transfer of securities, money or property, or receipts for them. Punishment extends to life imprisonment.
Key points
- Forgery must first be proved under sections 335 and 336.
- The document must be of the specified kind.
- Only the maker of the false document can be convicted.
Key Supreme Court rulings
Md. Ibrahim v. State of Bihar 2009 INSC 1110
Decided under section 467 of the IPC. Charges were quashed because the sale deeds were not false documents within section 464.
Common mistakes
- Applying the section without proving a false document.
Read with: Section 336 BNS, Section 467 IPC
Prepared with AI assistance as a study aid. Every ruling listed was checked against the Supreme Court's own judgments on this site, and quoted words appear in those judgments; linked names open the full judgment. Read the judgments themselves before relying on them. Not legal advice.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 338
No Supreme Court judgment in our database cites this section yet.