BUDHU RAM vs STATE OF RAJASTHAN

The Supreme Court held that the Assistant Settlement Officer was not required to file a complaint under Section 195(1)(c) of the Code of Criminal Procedure for the prosecution of the appellant, as he only produced an attested copy of a forged document, not the original. The Court clarified that Section 471 of the Indian Penal Code penalizes the use of a forged document as genuine, and the production of a copy amounts to such use. The conviction under Sections 471 and 420 IPC was upheld, affirming the lower courts' decisions.