Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 476
repealedCounterfeiting device or mark used for authenticating documents other than those described in section 467, or possessing counterfeit marked material
Whoever counterfeits upon, or in the substance of, any material, any device or mark used for the purpose of authenticating any document or electronic record other than the documents described in section 467 of this Code, intending that such device or mark shall be used for the purpose of giving the appearance of authenticity to any document then forged or thereafter to be forged on such material, or who with such intent, has in his possession any material upon or in the substance of which any such device or mark has been counterfeited, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Why this exists
This section mirrors section 475 but applies to authentication marks on ordinary documents rather than valuable securities, keeping the punishment scaled to the seriousness of the documents the fake mark would eventually be used on. The IPC was repealed on 1 July 2024 and replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which now governs these offences.