सं Samvidhan

Indian Penal Code, 1860

Section 467

repealed

Forgery of valuable security, will, etc.

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.

Why this exists

Wills decide who inherits property; valuable securities like cheques and promissory notes move money and property between people. Forging either can cause devastating, often irreversible financial and family harm, which is why this section carries the harshest punishment in the forgery chapter -- up to life imprisonment. The IPC was repealed on 1 July 2024 and replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which now governs these offences.

How courts read it

In Md. Ibrahim v. State of Bihar (2009), the Supreme Court explained that not every dishonest act involving a document is "forgery" in the technical sense used by this chapter of the IPC. Forgery requires the actual making of a false document (as defined in the forgery provisions) with the necessary dishonest or fraudulent intention -- merely executing or registering a document while falsely claiming ownership of the property, for example, is not automatically forgery unless the document itself is fabricated or falsified. Courts use this distinction to separate genuine forgery cases from disputes that are really about fraud or title, which are dealt with under other provisions.

Common misconceptions
  • Myth: Any dishonest paperwork about property falls under this section.
    Fact: This section applies only to specific document types -- wills, adoption authorities, valuable securities, and receipts -- not every property-related document; other disputes may fall under fraud or cheating instead.