(1) No person shall commit, or cause to be
committed, forgery.
(2) For the purposes of sub-section (1), a person who makes
a false document or false electronic record or a part or portion of a
document or electronic record, with intent to cause any harm, injury
or damage to the public or to any person or to render any benefit to
the person himself or herself or to any person shall be considered to
commit forgery.
Explanation: For the purposes of this Section,-
(a) 'document' means signature, thumb impression,
seal affixed on any document and the figure,
word, date or any other content set forth in any
document.
(b) 'making a false document' means any of the
following acts:
(1) to dishonestly prepare a document or part
of a document, make or transmit an
electronic record, archive digitals in an
electronic record, with the intention of
causing it to be believed that such
document was made, written, signed or
sealed by the person or authority who has
not actually made, written, signed or sealed
the document,
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(2) to, without lawful authority or dishonestly,
add or delete any content to or from, strike
out, change or otherwise alter or make
unclear any content of a document or
electronic record,
(3) to cause any person to make, sign, seal, or
alter any content of, a document knowing
that such person by reason of being of
unsound mind due to mental illness or
intoxication of liquors or narcotics or by
reason of deception practiced on him or her
cannot know the meaning of any contents
set down in the document,
(4) to prepare or use any envelope, paper
signed and delivered or any seal delivered
for a work or purpose other than that for
which such envelope, paper or seal was
signed, and delivered.
(3) A person who commits the offence referred to in
sub-section (1) shall be liable to the following sentence:
(a) A sentence of imprisonment for a term not
exceeding ten years and a fine not exceeding one
hundred thousand rupees, in the case of forgery of
a document authenticated by the President,
(b) A sentence of imprisonment for a term not
exceeding eight years and a fine not exceeding
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eighty thousand rupees, in the case of forgery of a
judgment or order of a court,
(c) A sentence of imprisonment for a term not
exceeding seven years and a fine not exceeding
seventy thousand rupees, in the case of forgery of
a government or public document other than that
referred to in clauses (a) and (b),
(d) A sentence of imprisonment for a term not
exceeding five years and a fine not exceeding
fifty thousand rupees, in the case of forgery of a
document other than that referred to in clauses
(a), (b) and (c).
(4) A person who has already disposed of property which
he or she has obtained by committing forgery shall be liable to an
additional fine equal to the claimed amount, in addition to the
sentence referred in sub-section (3).
(5) Where a person obtains any property by committing
forgery, the person shall return such property to the concerned
owner; and in the event that such property has already been disposed
of, the claimed amount of such property shall be caused to be
recovered to the owner from any other property of the offender.