Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
Section 338
Forgery of valuable security, will, etc
Whoever forges a document which purports to be a valuable security or a will, or an authority to adopt a son, or which purports to give authority to any person to make or transfer any valuable security, or to receive the principal, interest or dividends thereon, or to receive or deliver any money, movable property, or valuable security, or any document purporting to be an acquittance or receipt acknowledging the payment of money, or an acquittance or receipt for the delivery of any movable property or valuable security, 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.
Why this exists
Documents like wills, valuable securities (such as promissory notes, bonds, or shares), and receipts for money or property carry enormous financial and personal consequences when forged, since they can transfer entire estates, large sums of money, or valuable assets based on a single fabricated piece of paper. This section reserves the harshest forgery punishment for these especially consequential documents.