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468. Forgery for purpose of cheating.--Whoever commits forgery, intending that the document 438[or electronic record] forged shall be used for the purpose of cheating, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.

469. Forgery for purpose of harming reputation.-- Whoever commits forgery, intending that the document [or electronic record] forged shall harm the reputation of any party, or knowing that it is likely to be used for that purpose, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine.

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Whoever makes false documents or false electronic record with an intent to cause damage to public or to any person or to support any claim or title of such person is said to have committed forgery.

Section 468 also deals with forgery for the purpose of cheating and Section 471 deals with using as genuine a forged document. As observed hereinabove, the allegation of forgery is loosely laid against the petitioners. The document executed by the complainant himself is sought to be projected as forged, that too after 10 years of execution of the said document. The other offences are the ones punishable under Sections 406 and 420 of the IPC. Sections 406 and 420 of the IPC read as follows:

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Ibrahim [Mohd. Ibrahim v. State of Bihar, (2009) 8 SCC 751 : (2009) 3 SCC (Cri) 929. This Court, in this case, has cautioned that the ratio should not be misunderstood, to record the clarification, which in the present case, in our opinion, is not of any avail and help to Respondent 2 complainant. We respectfully concur with the clarification as well as the ratio explaining Sections 415, 464, etc. IPC.] , has elucidated that the condition precedent of an offence under Section 471IPC is forgery by making a false document or false electronic record or part thereof. Further, to constitute the offence under Section 471IPC, it has to be proven that the document was "forged" in terms of Section 470 [ "470. Forged document.--A false document [or electronic record] made wholly or in part by forgery is designated "a forged document or electronic record"."] , and "false" in terms of Section 464IPC [ "464. Making a false document.--A person is said to make a false document or false electronic record--First.-- Who dishonestly or fraudulently--(a) makes, signs, seals or executes a document or part of a document;(b) makes or transmits any electronic record or part of any electronic record;(c) affixes any electronic signature on any electronic record;(d) makes any mark denoting the execution of a document or the authenticity of the electronic signature,with the intention of causing it to be believed that such document or part of a document, electronic record or *[electronic signature] was made, signed, sealed, executed, transmitted or affixed by or by the authority of a person by whom or by whose authority he knows that it was not made, signed, sealed, executed or affixed; or* Substituted for "digital signature" by Act 10 of 2009, Section 51(e) (w.e.f. 27-10-2009)Secondly.--Who without lawful authority, dishonestly or fraudulently, by cancellation or otherwise, alters a document or an electronic record in any material part thereof, after it has been made, executed or affixed with electronic signature either by himself or by any other person, whether such person be living or dead at the time of such alteration; orThirdly.--Who dishonestly or fraudulently causes any person to sign, seal, execute or alter a document or an electronic record or to affix his electronic signature on any electronic record knowing that such person by reason of unsoundness of mind or intoxication cannot, or that by reason of deception practised upon him, he does not know the contents of the document or electronic record or the nature of the alteration."] .

22. Section 470 lays down that a document is "forged" if there is:

(i) fraudulent or dishonest use of a document as genuine; and
(ii) knowledge or reasonable belief on the part of the person using the document that it is a forged one.

Section 470 defines a "forged document" as a false document made by forgery.

23. As per Section 464IPC, a person is said to have made a "false document":

(i) if he has made or executed a document claiming to be someone else or authorised by someone else;