Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 477A
repealedFalsification of accounts
Whoever, being a clerk, officer or servant, or employed or acting in the capacity of a clerk, officer or servant, wilfully, and with intent to defraud, destroys, alters, mutilates or falsifies any book, electronic record, paper, writing, valuable security or account which belongs to or is in the possession of his employer, or has been received by him for or on behalf of his employer, or wilfully, and with intent to defraud, makes or abets the making of any false entry in, or omits or alters or abets the omission or alteration of any material particular from or in any such book, electronic record, paper, writing, valuable security or account, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both.
Why this exists
Added to the Indian Penal Code in 1895 to address a growing problem the original forgery sections didn't fully cover: employees quietly manipulating their employer's account books to hide theft or fraud. Since accounting fraud can go undetected for years and cause huge financial losses, this section specifically targets clerks, officers, and other staff who abuse their access to company records. The IPC was repealed on 1 July 2024 and replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which now governs these offences.