IPC Section 263A — Prohibition of fictitious stamps

Summary

This section makes it illegal to create, sell, use, or possess any fake postage stamp that looks like it was issued by the government. It also bans making or having any tools or materials used to create such fake stamps. Anyone who breaks this rule can be fined up to two hundred rupees. Any fake stamps, tools, or materials involved can be taken away and kept by the authorities.

Official Text

Whoever:
makes, knowingly utters, deals in or sells any fictitious stamp, or knowingly uses for any postal purpose any fictitious stamp, or
has in his possession, without lawful excuse, any fictitious stamp, or
makes or, without lawful excuse, has in his possession any die, plate, instrument or materials for making any fictitious stamp, shall be punished with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees.
Any such stamp, die, plate, instrument or materials in the possession of any person for making any fictitious stamp may be seized and, if seized shall be forfeited.
In this section “fictitious stamp” means any stamp falsely purporting to be issued by Government for the purpose of denoting a rate of postage, or any facsimile or imitation or representation, whether on paper or otherwise, of any stamp issued by Government for that purpose.
In this section and also in sections 255 to 263, both inclusive, the word “Government”, when used in connection with, or in reference to, any stamp issued for the purpose of denoting a rate of postage, shall, notwithstanding anything in section 17, be deemed to include the person or persons authorized by law to administer executive Government in any part of India, and also in any part of Her Majesty’s dominions or in any foreign country.

Sections referred to

• IPC §17 — Government
• IPC §255 — Counterfeiting Government stamp
• IPC §256 — Having possession of instrument or material for counterfeiting Government stamp
• IPC §257 — Making or selling instrument for counterfeiting Government stamp
• IPC §258 — Sale of counterfeit Government stamp
• IPC §259 — Having possession of counterfeit Government stamp
• IPC §260 — Using as genuine a Government stamp known to be counterfeit
• IPC §261 — Effacing writing from substance bearing Government stamp, or removing from document a stamp used for it, with intent to cause loss to Government
• IPC §262 — Using Government stamp known to have been before used
• IPC §263 — Erasure of mark denoting that stamp has been used

Old <-> New Code Mapping

• BNS §186 — Prohibition of fictitious stamps