Person Employed in Mint Causing Coin to Be of Different Weight or Composition From That Fixed by Law
Section 187 punishes a person employed in any mint lawfully established in India who does any act,
or omits what they are legally bound to do, with the intention of causing any coin issued from that
mint to be of a different weight or composition from that fixed by law, with imprisonment of either
description up to seven years, and fine.
Please note: This page reflects our understanding of the law as of the date it was
last reviewed. Parliament, the State Legislatures, and the courts continue to amend and interpret
this law, and this page may not yet reflect the most recent change. Please verify the current text
of the law independently, and consult a licensed advocate for advice on your own matter, before
relying on this page.
Corresponding Provision Under Prior Law
Verified against the National Crime Records Bureau's official BNS–IPC concordance (Sankalan
Portal), which maps Section 187 to old IPC Section 244, and cross-checked directly against the bare
text of both Acts, found to be word-for-word identical (aside from the old law's reference to
"British India," modernized here to "India").
BNS section
IPC, 1860 equivalent
Category
187
244
Exact
Quick Reference
Per the First Schedule to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023: punishable with imprisonment for 7 years and fine — cognizable, non-bailable, and triable by a Magistrate of the first class. Not compoundable: Section 187 appears in neither compounding table of Section 359 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. In the First Schedule, “Magistrate of the first class” does not include Executive Magistrates (Explanatory Note (2)).
Statutory Text (Verbatim)
Whoever, being employed in any mint lawfully established in India, does any act, or omits what he is legally bound to do, with the intention of causing any coin issued from that mint to be of a different weight or composition from the weight or composition fixed by law, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Source: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Act No. 45 of 2023), as published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary.
Explanation & Illustration (Lexovia's Commentary — Not Statutory Text)
Mint employee intentionally producing off-spec coin
Explanation (Lexovia's Commentary)
This is an insider offence: it applies only to a person employed in a lawfully established mint,
and requires an intention to cause the coin's weight or composition to deviate from the standard
fixed by law. Both a positive act and an unlawful omission (failing to do what one is legally bound
to do) are covered.
Illustration (Lexovia's Own Example)
A mint worker deliberately adjusts a coining machine to produce coins with less precious-metal
content than the legally fixed composition, intending this deviation. This falls within Section
187.
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