Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 267
repealedMaking or selling false weight or measure
Whoever makes, sells or disposes of any instrument for weighing, or any weight, or any measure of length or capacity which he knows to be false, in order that the same may be used as true, or knowing that the same is likely to be used as true, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.
Why this exists
This provision targets the manufacturing and supply side of the weights-and-measures offences, stopping false equipment from reaching shopkeepers and traders in the first place. By punishing makers and sellers as well as users, the law tries to dry up the supply of tools that could be used to cheat customers across many transactions. The Legal Metrology Act, 2009, now sets detailed standards for the manufacture and sale of weighing and measuring equipment. The IPC has been replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, effective 1 July 2024.