Indian Evidence Act, 1872 · Chapter V: Of Documentary Evidence
Section 61: Proof of contents of documents
The Indian Evidence Act, 1872 was repealed and replaced by the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 from 1 July 2024. It still applies to offences and proceedings from before that date.
In plain words
The contents of documents can be proved by primary or secondary evidence.
A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.
Official text
The contents of documents may be proved either by primary or by secondary evidence.
Corresponding sections were matched by comparing the wording of both official texts, and for the IPC and BNS, also against a published correspondence table. Wording, punishments and structure often changed, so read both sections before relying on the match.
Source: India Code (Legislative Department), the text of the Act as it stood before its repeal. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 61
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Appaiya v. Andimuthu @ Thangapandi & Ors .
Whether the High Court was correct in holding that owing to the non-production of any document by appellant evincing as to how the sons’ of the seller obtained the suit property in a partition Exhibit A1-registered sale…
- Neeraj Dutta v. State (Govt. of N.C.T. of Delhi)
- Iffco Tokio General Insurance Company Ltd. v. Pearl Beverages Ltd.
- Arjun Panditrao Khotkar v. Kailash Kushanrao Gorantyal and Ors.
- K. Nanjappa (Dead) by Lrs. v. R.A. Hameed Alias Ameersab (Dead) by Lrs. and Another
- V. Kishan Rao v. Nikhil Super Speciality Hospital & Another.