The Indian Evidence Act

A Critical Commentary Covering Emerging Issues and International Developments
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Description
about one and half centuries have elapsed since the Indian Evidence Act has been enacted in 1872 and the Act, as expertly drafted by Sir James fitzjames Stephen, has survived in all its pristine glory, the turmoil  and turbulence of two World Wars and a long-drawn nationalistic Independence Movement. The Act has been in force, mutatis mutandis, in many other erstwhile British colonies, including India's immediate neighbours like Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc and in Asia and Africa. Barring few changes necessitated by the emergence of electronic era and organized crime and terrorism, the Act has not undergone ant noteworthy changes. The Law Commission of India has also on occasions reviewed the functioning of specific provisions of the Act, and, in 1977 under the Chairmanship of Justice PB Gajendragadkar, and in 2003 under the Chairmanship of Justice M. Jagannadha Rao, submitted scholarly and through-going Reports on the functioning of the entire Indian Evidence Act. Though various important suggestions have been made in both the above reports, there were no proposals for any overhauling of the Act.
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Contents
Chapter I:       Introduction, Definitions and Kinds of Evidence
Chapter II:      Presumptions
Chapter III:     Theory of Relevancy 
Chapter IV:     Relevant Facts—Part I
Chapter V:      Admissions
Chapter VI:     Relevant Facts—Part III
Chapter VII:    Statements by Persons Unavailble
Chapter VIII:   Statements in Special Circumstances
Chapter IX:     Relevancy of Judgments of Courts
Chapter X:      Opinion Evidence
Chapter XI:     Relevance of Character Evidence
Chapter XII:    Facts which Need not be Proved
Chapter XIII:   Oral Evidence
Chapter XIV:   Of Documentary Evidence
Chapter XV:    Proof of Execution and Attestation
Chapter XVI:   Public Documents and Presumptions
Chapter XVII:  Exclusion of Oral by Documentary Evidence
Chapter XVIII: Burden of Proof
Chapter XIX:   Proof of Legitimacy
Chapter XX:    Estoppel
Chapter XXI:   Witnesses
Chapter XXII:  Compellability of Witnesses
Chapter XXIII: Examination of Witnesses
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Author Details
Dr. V Nageswara Rao B.A., LL.M., Ph.D.
Legal Consultant, Canada
Professor of Law, Osmania University, Hyderbad
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