Evidence Act · Chapter V · Of documentary evidence

Evidence Act section 61 in the BSA

Evidence Act 61BSA 56

Evidence Act section 61, “Proof of contents of documents”, is now BSA section 56 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, in force from 1 July 2024.

What changed

From Evidence Act 61 to BSA 56

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

Indian Evidence Act, 1872

Section 61 Proof of contents of documents

The contents of documents may be proved either by primary or by secondary evidence.

Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023

Section 56 Proof of contents of documents

The contents of documents may be proved either by primary or by secondary evidence.

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amendment markers and footnotes of the official print are left out, so the old section reads as it stood when it was repealed.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The BSA repealed the Indian Evidence Act from 1 July 2024 (section 170(1)).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)).