Metal Tokens Act, 1889

This is a very old law, from 1889, aimed at protecting the government's monopoly over coinage. Section 3 bans private persons from making any piece of copper, bronze, or other metal intended for use as money, unless authorised by the Federal Government. Section 4 makes it an offence to make such a piece without authority, to issue or attempt to issue it, or to possess it with intent to issue it after three months from the Act's commencement; a first offence is punishable with imprisonment of up to one year, or a fine, or both, while a repeat offence carries up to three years' imprisonment, or a fine, or both, plus forfeiture of the pieces and any tools used to make them. In a trial, the burden of proving a metal piece was not intended for use as money falls on the accused person.

Section 5 makes unauthorised manufacture of such pieces a cognizable offence, meaning police can arrest without a warrant, while other offences under Section 4 need a District or Sub-Divisional Magistrate's prior sanction before a court can take them up. Section 6 extends similar penalties to importing such metal pieces in violation of a Customs Act notification. Section 8 bars railway administrations and local authorities from accepting non-coin metal pieces as money; anyone on their behalf who does so is liable to a fine of up to ten rupees. Given the Act's age and multiple amendments, current details should be checked against the official text.