55 exam-style questions on this chapter, written from the actual legal text and tagged for UPSC, Judiciary and CLAT. Five are shown below with answers and explanations — the rest are in the free interactive drill.
Q1 · easy · BNS S.178
Which of the following best matches the definition of a "bank-note" under Section 178 Explanation (1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023?
- A.A promissory note issued by any person carrying on banking business or by/under authority of a State, payable to bearer on demand and intended to be used as equivalent to or as a substitute for money.✓ correct
- B.Any government-issued paper evidencing debt and payable to a named creditor on a future date.
- C.A cheque drawn by a bank on itself for payment to a specified person.
- D.A central bank's internal accounting entry that represents monetary reserves.
Why: Explanation (1) expressly defines "bank-note" as a promissory note or engagement for the payment of money to bearer on demand issued by a person carrying on banking business or by/under authority of a State, intended to be used as equivalent to or substitute for money.
Read Section 178 — Counterfeiting coin, Government stamps, currency-notes or bank-notes →Q2 · easy · BNS S.178
What is the maximum punishment provided for counterfeiting a coin, Government stamp, currency-note or bank-note under Section 178?
- A.Imprisonment up to five years and fine.
- B.Imprisonment up to seven years and fine.
- C.Imprisonment for life without the possibility of a lesser term.
- D.Imprisonment for life, or imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and also liable to fine.✓ correct
Why: Section 178 states the offender "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," making option 4 the correct statement of maximum penalties.
Read Section 178 — Counterfeiting coin, Government stamps, currency-notes or bank-notes →Q3 · medium · BNS S.178
Which of the following acts falls within the offence of "counterfeiting coin" as per Explanation (5) and (4) of Section 178?
- A.Melting down a genuine coin and recasting it into a new genuine coin of the same denomination without altering weight or composition.
- B.Diminishing the weight of a genuine coin so as to alter its composition or appearance with intention to deceive or knowing deception is likely.✓ correct
- C.Selling a genuine coin at a price below its face value in a private sale.
- D.Marking a coin with a private owner's initials without changing weight, composition or appearance.
Why: Explanation (5) specifically includes diminishing the weight or alteration of composition or appearance as part of the offence of "counterfeiting coin," and Explanation (4) adds the mental element of intending deception or knowing deception is likely.
Read Section 178 — Counterfeiting coin, Government stamps, currency-notes or bank-notes →Q4 · medium · BNS S.178
A person takes a genuine Government revenue stamp of denomination X and alters it so that it appears to be denomination Y. Under Section 178 Explanation (3), this act is:
- A.Not an offence under counterfeiting provisions because the stamp itself is genuine.
- B.Only an offence if the person also forges the issuing authority's signature.
- C.An offence of "counterfeiting Government stamp" because causing a genuine stamp of one denomination to appear like a different denomination is defined as such.✓ correct
- D.Not covered because the provision applies only to currency-notes and coins, not stamps.
Why: Explanation (3) expressly states that a person commits the offence of "counterfeiting Government stamp" who counterfeits by causing a genuine stamp of one denomination to appear like a genuine stamp of a different denomination; therefore the described act is an offence.
Read Section 178 — Counterfeiting coin, Government stamps, currency-notes or bank-notes →Q5 · hard · BNS S.178
Consider a privately produced metal token that people use locally as money but which is not stamped or issued by any State or Sovereign Power. Under the definition of "coin" in Explanation (2), is such a token covered by the offence of "counterfeiting coin" in Section 178?
- A.No — Explanation (2) defines "coin" to include metal that is stamped and issued by or under the authority of a State or Sovereign Power intended to be used as money.✓ correct
- B.Yes — any metal used as money is automatically a "coin" regardless of issuing authority, so counterfeiting it is covered.
- C.Yes — because the provision treats any token used as money as a bank-note for the purposes of the offence.
- D.No — because Section 178 applies only to paper currency and government stamps, not metal tokens.
Why: Explanation (2) ties the meaning of "coin" to section 2 of the Coinage Act and says it includes metal used as money and is stamped and issued by or under the authority of a State or Sovereign Power; a privately produced, unstamped token therefore falls outside that defined meaning.
Read Section 178 — Counterfeiting coin, Government stamps, currency-notes or bank-notes →50 more questions on Of Offences Relating To Coin, Currency-Notes, Bank-Notes, And Government Stamps
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