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Evidence (BSA) · Unit 3

Witnesses

Unit 3 of Law of Evidence (Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023) (syllabus: Module III — who may testify; examination of witnesses; questions that may be put; credibility; the judge’s power to put questions; improper admission and rejection of evidence (BSA ss. 124–170; IEA ss. 118–167)). Below: what the unit covers, the provisions it turns on, and the cases an examiner expects you to name.

What this unit covers

  • Who is competent to testify, and how is a witness who cannot speak examined?
  • Who owns a privilege, and who can waive it?
  • Must a witness answer a question that would incriminate him?
  • What may be asked at each stage of examination?
  • When is the answer to a question going to credit final?
  • Is an improper admission or rejection of evidence a ground for a new trial?

Treat that list as a self-test: recite each topic's rule from memory before you open its cases.

Provisions

Leading cases

  • No judgment is cited on this course; the nearest authority is the statute itself

Exam questions on this unit