Whoever, having coin in his possession with respect to which the offence defined in section 246 or 248 has been committed, and having known at the time when he became possessed of such coin that such offence had been committed with respect to it, fraudulently or with intent that fraud may be committed, delivers such coin to any other person, or attempts to induce any other person to receive the same, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, and shall also be liable to fine.
IPC Section 250: Simplified Explanation
IPC Section 250 deals with the offence of delivering or attempting to deliver a coin as genuine, which the deliverer did not initially know was counterfeit when they first came into possession of it. However, at the time of delivery, they realized or discovered that the coin was counterfeit. This section targets the act of passing off a coin as genuine despite knowing its counterfeit nature at the time of the delivery.
The critical elements of this offence include:
- The accused must have delivered or attempted to provide a coin as genuine.
- The accused did not initially know the coin was counterfeit when they first came into possession of it.
- The accused discovered the coin was counterfeit before delivering it.
- The act of providing the coin must be done intentionally and fraudulently.
Is IPC Section 250 bailable?
Yes, IPC Section 250 is a bailable offence. This means that the accused has the right to be released on bail, which can be granted either by the police or by the court.
IPC Section 250 Punishment
The punishment for an offence under IPC Section 250 is imprisonment of either description (simple or rigorous) for a term which may extend to two years, or with a fine, or with both. This relatively lighter punishment compared to other counterfeiting offences reflects the consideration that the accused did not initially know the coin was counterfeit.
Example of IPC Section 250
Consider a scenario involving a man named Ravi, who receives a few coins from a customer at his shop. Initially, Ravi needs to realize that one of the coins is counterfeit. Later, upon closer inspection, he notices that the coin needs to be genuine. Despite this realization, Ravi decides to use the counterfeit coin to pay another vendor. The vendor recognizes the coin as counterfeit and reports the incident to the authorities. An investigation reveals that Ravi knew the coin was counterfeit at the time of delivery, even though he did not know it when he first received it. Consequently, Ravi is charged under IPC Section 250 for delivering a counterfeit coin as genuine, and he faces the prescribed punishment for this fraudulent offence.
