What is IPC Section 467?
IPC Section 467 punishes forging a document which purports to be a valuable security or a will, an authority to adopt a son, or which purports to give authority to any person to make or transfer any valuable security, to receive the principal, interest, or dividends on it, to receive or deliver money or movable property, or a document purporting to be a receipt acknowledging the payment of money or delivery of property. It was frequently invoked in cases involving forged promissory notes and cheques, forged wills used in inheritance disputes, fabricated property transfer authorisations, and falsified payment receipts used to claim money that was never actually paid.
Section 467 sits within Chapter XVIII of the IPC ("Of Offences Relating to Documents and to Property Marks"). It is one of the most serious forgery provisions because of the nature of the documents involved — financial instruments and testamentary documents whose falsification can cause significant, often irreversible, wrongful loss.
Important Update: IPC to BNS Transition
With effect from 1 July 2024, the Indian Penal Code has been replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 for offences committed on or after that date. Section 467 IPC now corresponds to Section 338 of the BNS, with the same punishment structure. The BNS notably extends the definition of forgery to expressly cover electronic records, meaning forged digital documents, digital signatures, and falsified metadata can now attract this provision as clearly as physical, paper-based forgery. FIRs registered before 1 July 2024 continue to be tried under IPC 467; incidents after that date are registered under the corresponding BNS provision.
Legal Provision — Text of Section 467 IPC
This provision must be read together with Section 463 IPC (definition of "forgery") and Section 464 IPC (making a false document), since a Section 467 charge cannot succeed unless the general ingredients of forgery are first established, in addition to the document falling within one of the specific categories listed.
Punishment Under Section 467
| Imprisonment | Imprisonment for life, or imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years |
|---|---|
| Fine | Mandatory alongside imprisonment; amount decided by the court |
| Nature of Offence | Non-cognizable — except where the forged valuable security is a promissory note or other security of the Central Government, in which case it is cognizable |
| Bailable / Non-Bailable | Non-bailable — bail is discretionary and must be applied for before the court |
| Compoundable | Not compoundable under any circumstances |
| Triable By | Magistrate of the First Class (state amendment in Madhya Pradesh: Court of Session) |
| Limitation Period | None — being punishable with more than 3 years' imprisonment |
Key Ingredients / Essential Elements
The general ingredients of "forgery" must be met
This requires the making of a false document, or a part of it, with intent to cause damage or injury, to support a claim or title, to cause a person to part with property, to enter into an express or implied contract, or to commit fraud.
The forged document must fall within a specific category
It must purport to be a valuable security, a will, an authority to adopt a son, an authority to transfer a valuable security or receive money/interest/dividends, or a receipt acknowledging payment or delivery.
Intention to deceive or defraud
The accused must have made the forged document with the necessary fraudulent or dishonest intention, as required by the general definition of forgery.
Even an unregistered document can qualify
Courts have held that a document need not be formally registered to "purport to be" a valuable security or will within the meaning of Section 467.
What Should You Do — For Victims and For the Accused
If a Document Affecting You Has Been Forged
- Preserve the original suspected forged document along with any genuine documents for comparison.
- File a written complaint at the local police station, or before the Magistrate given the offence's non-cognizable status in most cases (unless it involves a Central Government security).
- Consider engaging a handwriting/forensic document examiner to support the claim of forgery.
- Where the forgery affects a civil matter (such as a will or property document), pursue the relevant civil remedy alongside the criminal complaint.
If an FIR / Complaint Is Filed Against You
- Do not ignore a police notice or summons, and do not make statements without a lawyer present.
- Engage a criminal lawyer immediately given the seriousness of the offence and discretionary nature of bail.
- Gather evidence bearing on the document's genuineness, or on the absence of the fraudulent intent required for forgery.
- Consider engaging an independent forensic document examiner to challenge the prosecution's claim of forgery, where appropriate.
FIR Filing & Bail Process Under Section 467
Filing the Complaint
Since the offence is generally non-cognizable, a complaint is typically filed before a Magistrate under Section 200 CrPC (now BNSS), except where a Central Government security is involved, which is cognizable.
Investigation
Forensic document examination (handwriting analysis, ink/paper dating, and increasingly digital forensic analysis for electronic records) is central to establishing forgery.
Bail
Being non-bailable, bail is discretionary, and courts examine the seriousness of the alleged forgery, the value involved, and the risk of tampering with evidence.
Chargesheet & Trial
The case is tried before a Magistrate of the First Class (Court of Session in Madhya Pradesh), with expert forensic testimony often playing a central role.
Important / Landmark Cases on Section 467
Mohd. Ibrahim & Ors. v. State of Bihar & Anr., (2009) 8 SCC 751
The Supreme Court examined what constitutes forgery of a "valuable security" and reaffirmed that the essential ingredients of forgery under Sections 463/464, in addition to the document falling within the specific categories of Section 467, must be clearly established.
Daniel Hailey Walcott v. State
This case is frequently cited for establishing precedents on the required intent and the nature of the documents that fall within the scope of Section 467, particularly regarding the mental element of fraudulent intention.
Registration Status Is Not Determinative
Courts have clarified that an unregistered document can still "purport to be" a valuable security or a will within the meaning of Section 467, so long as it outwardly holds itself out as such a document.