Indian Evidence Act of 1872

Indian Evidence Act was passed originally by the British Parliament in 1872, that contains a set of rules and allied issues that governs acceptability of any evidence in the Indian courts of law.

The enactment of Indian Evidence Act was a landmark judicial measure in Indian history as the entire system of concepts refers to the acceptability of the law. Before the passing of the act, the rules of evidences were different in case of different individual based on different social groups and communities of India, as well as his or her caste, religion and social faith. This traditional rule was changed with the introduction of Indian Evidence Act in 1872, which was mainly proposed by Sir James Fitzjames Stephen. This act removed the anomaly in taking evidence and introduced a standard set of law applicable to all Indians.

The Indian Evidence Act, identified as Act no. 1 of 1872, is called the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 that has eleven chapters and 167 sections, and came into force 1st September,1872.At that time, India was a part of the British Empire.

Over a period of more than 125 years since its enactment, the Indian Evidence Act has basically retained its original form except certain amendments from time to time.The Act is relevant even today in Republic of India, except the state of Jammu and Kashmir.