● Modified in BNS
Committing forgery intending that the forged document (or, under the BNS, electronic record) harm someone's reputation, or knowing it is likely to be used for that purpose, carries imprisonment of either description up to 3 years, and fine, under BNS Section 336(4) -- the same punishment as IPC 469, now extended to cover forged electronic records. It is a bailable, cognizable offence triable by a Magistrate of the First Class.
Section 469 IPC punished forgery committed with intent that the forged document harm the reputation of any party, or with knowledge that it was likely to be used for that purpose. It carried imprisonment of either description up to three years, and fine -- lower than forgery for the purpose of cheating under Section 468 (seven years), reflecting the different (reputational rather than pecuniary) harm targeted.
BNS Section 336(4) reproduces the offence and the three-year punishment verbatim, with one addition consistent across the whole forgery cluster: the forged instrument is now defined to include a "false electronic record," so the offence explicitly covers forging an electronic record (not just a paper document) with intent to harm reputation.
The offence and its punishment are unchanged. The verified addition -- consistent with the parallel forgery provisions already published in this tool (IPC 463, 465, 466, 467, 468, 471) -- is explicit coverage of false electronic records alongside false documents.
Imprisonment of either description up to 3 years, and fine..
IPC 469 is bailable..
This is a cognizable. offence.
Non-compoundable..
Matters under IPC 469 are tried before the Magistrate of the First Class..
Common defences include the absence of intent to harm reputation or knowledge that the document was likely to be so used (an innocuous or accidentally false document is not forgery under this limb), that the document does not meet the definition of a false document/electronic record under BNS 336(1), and that any reputational harm was incidental rather than the object of the forgery.
Summaries are for general information and are not legal advice. For the authoritative bare-act text, see the official Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and Indian Penal Code, 1860 (full amended text, as it stood before repeal) on India Code, or the Ministry of Home Affairs' new criminal laws page. ← All comparisons