Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (Law of Evidence)
“Evidence is the means by which the facts of a case are proved or disproved — the BSA tells the court what may be looked at, and who must prove what.” — the function of the law of evidence
The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (in force 1 July 2024) replaces the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. It governs what facts may be proved, how they may be proved, and who must prove them — relevancy, admissibility, the burden of proof, and the examination of witnesses. These notes follow the new BSA section numbering, with the old Evidence Act number shown as (← IEA S.x) where useful.
Unit Coverage
| Unit | Topics |
|---|---|
| Unit I — Introduction, Relevancy & Admissions | Meaning & kinds of evidence, “facts in issue” vs “relevant facts”, res gestae (S.4), motive/preparation/conduct, conspiracy, similar facts, admissions (Ss.15–21) |
| Unit II — Confessions, Dying Declaration & Expert Evidence | Confessions (Ss.22–24), confession to police & discovery (S.23), dying declaration (S.26), relevancy of judgments, expert & opinion evidence (Ss.39–45) |
| Unit III — Character, Oral & Documentary Evidence | Relevancy of character, oral evidence (Ss.54–55), documentary evidence, primary & secondary evidence (Ss.57–60), the exclusion of oral by documentary evidence |
| Unit IV — Burden of Proof, Presumptions & Estoppel | Burden of proof (Ss.104–114), “may/shall presume” & conclusive proof, presumption of legitimacy, dowry-death presumption (S.118), estoppel (Ss.121–123) |
| Unit V — Witnesses, Examination & Privilege | Competency & compellability, the three stages of examination (S.143), leading questions, hostile witness (S.157), impeaching credit, privileged communications |
Note: Fully updated to the BSA 2023, replacing the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (in force 1 July 2024).
Download the BSA (Law of Evidence) Complete Bundle + Question Bank — ₹199 — the full study notes plus a Question Bank of model answers (essays + solved problems) for every previously-asked KSLU question, mapped to the new BSA sections: PYQ-mapped topics, charts, case-law tables, 16-mark essay blueprints and solved IRAC problems for all 5 units.
🆓 Free sample: Download Unit 1 (free PDF)