Indian Evidence Act, 1872
Section 53 In criminal cases previous good character relevant
In criminal proceedings, the fact that the person accused is of a good character, is relevant.
Evidence Act · Chapter II · Of the relevancy of facts
Evidence Act section 53 in the BSA
Evidence Act 53BSA 47
Evidence Act section 53, “In criminal cases previous good character relevant”, is now BSA section 47 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, in force from 1 July 2024.
What changed
From Evidence Act 53 to BSA 47
The words are the same as in the Evidence Act, apart from “Adhiniyam” for the Act’s own name and the new numbers of the sections it refers to.
The official text
Old and new, side by side
Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023
Section 47 In criminal cases previous good character relevant
In criminal proceedings the fact that the person accused is of a good character, is relevant.
The texts are India Code’s. The amendment markers and footnotes of the official print are left out, so the old section reads as it stood when it was repealed. The PDFs linked below carry the full history.
Old law or new?
Which one applies to a case
The BSA repealed the Indian Evidence Act from 1 July 2024 (section 170(1)). Any application, trial, inquiry, investigation, proceeding or appeal pending immediately before that date is dealt with under the Evidence Act as it then stood, as if the BSA had not come into force (section 170(2)).
Sources
- The Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (Act 1 of 1872), India Code (archived copy)
- The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (Act 47 of 2023), as on 6 October 2025, India Code (archived copy)
- Correspondence Table and Comparison Summary of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA) and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (IEA), Bureau of Police Research and Development (Ministry of Home Affairs): where each section went
