Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023

Section 2 BSA 2023: Definitions

Section 2 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA) defines the basic expressions used throughout India's evidence law, including Court, document, evidence, fact, facts in issue, proved, disproved, relevant, may presume and shall presume.

Current law: The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 is Act No. 47 of 2023 and came into force on 1 July 2024. It replaced the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 for proceedings to which the new law applies.

Contents

Overview of Section 2 of the BSA

Section 2 is the interpretation provision of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. These definitions guide the meaning of important expressions used in later provisions dealing with relevancy, proof, oral evidence, documentary evidence, electronic records and presumptions.

A major feature of the BSA is its express recognition of electronic and digital material. The definition of document includes electronic and digital records, while evidence includes statements given electronically and documents in electronic or digital form produced for the Court's inspection.

Key definitions under Section 2

CourtIncludes Judges, Magistrates and other persons legally authorised to take evidence, but excludes arbitrators.
DocumentCovers recorded matter in any form and expressly includes electronic and digital records.
EvidenceIncludes oral evidence, including statements given electronically, and documentary evidence, including electronic or digital records.
FactIncludes things, states or relations capable of sensory perception and mental conditions of which a person is conscious.
Facts in issueFacts from which a right, liability or disability asserted or denied in a proceeding necessarily follows.
ProvedA fact is proved when the Court believes it exists or considers its existence sufficiently probable for a prudent person to act on that supposition.
DisprovedA fact is disproved when the Court believes it does not exist or considers its non-existence sufficiently probable for a prudent person to act on that supposition.
Not provedA fact is not proved when it is neither proved nor disproved.
RelevantA fact is relevant to another fact when the connection is one recognised by the BSA provisions on relevancy of facts.
May presumeThe Court may treat the fact as proved unless disproved, or may require proof.
Shall presumeThe Court must regard the fact as proved unless and until it is disproved.
Conclusive proofWhere the law declares one fact conclusive proof of another, the Court must treat the other as proved and cannot permit evidence to disprove it.

Bare text of Section 2 - Definitions

2. (1) In this Adhiniyam, unless the context otherwise requires,-

(a) "Court" includes all Judges and Magistrates, and all persons, except arbitrators, legally authorised to take evidence;

(b) "conclusive proof" means when one fact is declared by this Adhiniyam to be conclusive proof of another, the Court shall, on proof of the one fact, regard the other as proved, and shall not allow evidence to be given for the purpose of disproving it;

(c) "disproved" in relation to a fact, means when, after considering the matters before it, the Court either believes that it does not exist, or considers its non-existence so probable that a prudent man ought, under the circumstances of the particular case, to act upon the supposition that it does not exist;

(d) "document" means any matter expressed or described or otherwise recorded upon any substance by means of letters, figures or marks or any other means or by more than one of those means, intended to be used, or which may be used, for the purpose of recording that matter and includes electronic and digital records.

Illustrations.
(i) A writing is a document.

(ii) Words printed, lithographed or photographed are documents.

(iii) A map or plan is a document.

(iv) An inscription on a metal plate or stone is a document.

(v) A caricature is a document.

(vi) An electronic record on emails, server logs, documents on computers, laptop or smartphone, messages, websites, locational evidence and voice mail messages stored on digital devices are documents;

(e) "evidence" means and includes-

(i) all statements including statements given electronically which the Court permits or requires to be made before it by witnesses in relation to matters of fact under inquiry and such statements are called oral evidence;

(ii) all documents including electronic or digital records produced for the inspection of the Court and such documents are called documentary evidence;

(f) "fact" means and includes-

(i) any thing, state of things, or relation of things, capable of being perceived by the senses;

(ii) any mental condition of which any person is conscious.

Illustrations.
(i) That there are certain objects arranged in a certain order in a certain place, is a fact.

(ii) That a person heard or saw something, is a fact.

(iii) That a person said certain words, is a fact.

(iv) That a person holds a certain opinion, has a certain intention, acts in good faith, or fraudulently, or uses a particular word in a particular sense, or is or was at a specified time conscious of a particular sensation, is a fact;

(g) "facts in issue" means and includes any fact from which, either by itself or
in connection with other facts, the existence, non-existence, nature or extent of any right, liability or disability, asserted or denied in any suit or proceeding, necessarily follows.

Explanation.-Whenever, under the provisions of the law for the time being in force relating to civil procedure, any Court records an issue of fact, the fact to be asserted or denied in the answer to such issue is a fact in issue.

Illustrations.
A is accused of the murder of B. At his trial, the following facts may be in issue:-

(i) That A caused B's death.

(ii) That A intended to cause B's death.

(iii) That A had received grave and sudden provocation from B.

(iv) That A, at the time of doing the act which caused B's death, was, by reason of unsoundness of mind, incapable of knowing its nature;

(h) "may presume".-Whenever it is provided by this Adhiniyam that the Court may presume a fact, it may either regard such fact as proved, unless and until it is disproved or may call for proof of it;

(i) "not proved".-A fact is said to be not proved when it is neither proved nor disproved;

(j) "proved".-A fact is said to be proved when, after considering the matters before it, the Court either believes it to exist, or considers its existence so probable that a prudent man ought, under the circumstances of the particular case, to act upon the supposition that it exists;

(k) "relevant".-A fact is said to be relevant to another when it is connected with the other in any of the ways referred to in the provisions of this Adhiniyam relating to the relevancy of facts;

(l) "shall presume".-Whenever it is directed by this Adhiniyam that the Court shall presume a fact, it shall regard such fact as proved, unless and until it is
disproved.

(2) Words and expressions used herein and not defined but defined in the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 shall have the same meanings as assigned to them in the said Act and Sanhitas.

Official text of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023

For authoritative statutory text, commencement details and the complete Act, refer to the official India Code publication.

Official India Code PDF - Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023

This page is intended as a legal information resource. For a pending case or evidence issue, the applicable procedural law, transitional provisions and judicial decisions should also be checked.