Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 488
repealedPunishment for making use of any such false mark
Whoever makes use of any such false mark in any manner prohibited by the last foregoing section shall, unless he proves that he acted without intent to defraud, be punished as if he had committed an offence against that section.
Why this exists
This section extends liability to people who use a falsely marked container that someone else created, mirroring how section 471 extends forgery liability to users of forged documents. It prevents someone from escaping punishment by claiming they didn't personally mark the container, only used one that was already falsely marked. The IPC was repealed on 1 July 2024 and replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which now governs these offences.