Whoever forges a document or an electronic record, purporting to be a record or proceeding of or in a Court or an identity document issued by Government including voter identity card or Aadhaar Card, or a register of birth, marriage or burial, or a register kept by a public servant as such, or a certificate or document purporting to be made by a public servant in his official capacity, or an authority to institute or defend a suit, or to take any proceedings therein, or to confess judgment, or a power of attorney, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Explanation: For the purposes of this section, “register” includes any list, data or record of any entries maintained in the electronic form as defined in clause (r) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (21 of 2000).
Simplified Explanation
Section 337 of the BNS, 2023 states that whoever forges any documents/ electronic records, which relates to record of the proceedings of court, identity documents such as Aadhaar Card, birth/burial certificate, marriage certificate, register of public servants, document having the authority to start or defend a lawsuit or a power of attorney, will be punished with imprisonment up to seven years with fine.
Punishment
Imprisonment up to 7 years with Fine.
FAQs on BNS Section 337
What happens if anyone forges my Aadhar Card?
Forging an ID issued by the government such as Aadhar Card is an offence under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The offender can be punished with imprisonment up to years with fine.
Is forging electronic records also a crime?
Yes, forging electronic records or digital registers is treated same as forging physical documents under section 337 of the BNS, 2023.