Bhartiya Sakshya Bill 2023

Bill citation: Bill No. 123 of 2023, Introduced: 12 December 2023, Passed: 20 December 2023

The Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 12 December 2023 with the aim to repeal and replace the existing Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (“Evidence Act”) along with two other Bills intended to replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (“IPC”) and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (“CrPC”)

The Bharatiya Sakshya Bill is subdivided into 11 chapters consisting of 170 clauses/sections. The structure of the code is similar to the Indian Penal Code. The outline of the Act is as follows:

Chapters Clauses Classification of Offences
Chapter 1 Clauses 1 to 2 Preliminary
Chapter 2 Clauses 3 to 50 Relevancy of Facts
Chapter 3 Clauses 51 to 53 Facts Which Need Not Be Proved
Chapter 4 Clauses 54 to 55 Of Oral Evidence
Chapter 5 Clauses 56 to 93 Of Documentary Evidence
Chapter 6 Clauses 94 to 103 Of the Exclusion of Oral Evidence by Documentary Evidence
Chapter 7 Clauses 104 to 120 Of the Burden of Proof
Chapter 8 Clauses 121 to 123 Estoppel
Chapter 9 Clauses 124 to 139 Of Witnesses
Chapter 10 Clauses 140 to 168 Of Examination of Witnesses
Chapter 11 Clauses 169 to 170 Of Improper Admission and Rejection of Evidence

Chapters