BNS Section 187: Person in a Mint Causing Coin to Be of Different Weight or Composition (IPC 244 Mapping) (2026)

Explainer · Criminal Law · BNS

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

Section 187 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) punishes a person employed in a mint who causes a coin to be of a different weight or composition from that fixed by law. It is the new home of the offence that lawyers knew as Section 244 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The punishment is imprisonment up to seven years, and a fine. If you searched for "BNS Section 187" expecting an offence about public order, remember that the BNS renumbered the old code, so the number alone can mislead. This explainer sets out what Section 187 covers, who can commit it, how it maps to the old law, and the punishment. Last verified October 2026.

01Why the number trips people up

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC) from 1 July 2024 and renumbered almost every offence. The number you remember from the IPC rarely points to the same provision in the BNS.

Section 187 is a clear example. Under the old scheme a number in this range related to offences against public tranquillity. In the BNS, Section 187 sits with the offences on coin, currency-notes and bank-notes. It is a specialised offence that can only be committed by a person working inside a mint. Reading the new number correctly matters, because a charge for conduct on or after 1 July 2024 is drawn under the BNS and cites Section 187, not the old IPC number.

02What Section 187 covers

Section 187 of the BNS punishes a person employed in a mint lawfully established in India who causes a coin issued from that mint to differ in weight or composition from the weight or composition fixed by law. In plain terms, it is an inside job: a mint worker who tampers with the metal standard of the coins the mint produces.

The wrong can be done either by a positive act or by omitting to do something the person is bound to do. What the section protects is the integrity of the official coinage: a coin issued by a mint should meet the legal standard for weight and metal content.

03Key ingredients

To bring a case under Section 187, the prosecution must show each of these elements:

• Employment in a mint: the accused is a person employed in a mint lawfully established in India.
• Act or omission: the accused does an act, or omits what he is bound by law to do.
• The guilty mind: the accused intends, or knows it to be likely, that a coin issued from that mint will differ in weight or composition from the standard fixed by law.

Both the conduct and the mental element must be shown. An honest mistake at the mint, without the intent or knowledge the section requires, does not fit.

04Old to new: IPC 244 to BNS 187

Section 244 of the IPC is now Section 187 of the BNS. The offence and the punishment are carried over.

Because the text is carried forward, older judgments on Section 244 of the IPC continue to guide how Section 187 is read.

05Punishment and classification

The punishment under Section 187 is imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and the offender is also liable to a fine.

On classification, the offence under Section 187 is:

• Cognizable: the police can register an FIR and investigate without prior approval of a court.
• Non-bailable: bail is not a matter of right and is decided by the court.
• Triable by a Magistrate of the first class.

06What changed from the old law

For this offence, the change is mostly the number. The conduct, the special capacity of the accused, the mental element, and the punishment are carried over from Section 244 of the IPC, so the settled case law continues to apply.

The practical point is the transition. A charge for conduct on or after 1 July 2024 reads Section 187 of the BNS, while an older matter keeps its IPC 244 tag, because the law that applies is the law on the date of the offence. For some years both numbers will appear in live files.

07Where Claw fits

Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.

Coinage offences are rare and highly specialised, so when one lands, counsel usually need to find the handful of rulings on the old Section 244 and the related coin provisions. Claw lets you comb more than 30 crore judgments and follow the cases, orders and hearings on this section by party or advocate name, across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, with results in under five seconds. Its reach extends to the Supreme Court from 1950 and the High Courts from 1990, so even the few decisions on point surface quickly, and you can track a live matter as it moves.

Claw does not use customer case documents to train its AI models, so your file stays confidential. Set up a free Claw account to look up Section 187 matters by party or advocate name. To search the wider body of law, see case search across Indian courts.

08Sources and further reading

• India Code (official text of the BNS, 2023): indiacode.nic.in
• PRS Legislative Research (BNS overview and IPC comparison): prsindia.org
• Section 187, BNS (bare text): devgan.in
• Claw: clawlaw.in

This explainer is general information, not legal advice. The law changes through amendments and judgments, so check the current text and take advice from counsel before you act.

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