BSA Section 142: Examination of witnesses (formerly IEA 137)
Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 · in force from 1 July 2024
BSA 142: Examination of witnesses
From 1 July 2024
(1) The examination of a witness by the party who calls him shall be called his examination-in-chief.
(2) The examination of a witness by the adverse party shall be called his cross-examination.
(3) The examination of a witness, subsequent to the cross-examination, by the party who called him, shall be called his re-examination.
What it replaced in the Evidence Act
BSA 142 ← IEA 137 · Examination-in-chiefChanged
BPR&D's comparison records a change. Read what changed before relying on the old wording.
What changed, per BPR&D: Paragraphs are numbered as subsections (1), (2) and (3), and headings of paragraph are excluded.
Printed in both official correspondence tables (BPR&D and NCRB).
The examination of witness by the party who calls him shall be called his examination-in-chief.
Cross-examination. –– The examination of a witness by the adverse party shall be called his cross-examination.
Re-examination. ––The examination of a witness, subsequent to the cross-examination by the party who called him, shall be called his re-examination.
Which one applies
Under section 170(2) of the BSA, an application, trial, inquiry, investigation, proceeding or appeal already pending on 1 July 2024 is dealt with under the Evidence Act; one begun on or after that date, under the BSA.
Read BSA section 170 →Judgments decided under IEA 137
They remain the law on IEA 137. Where the provision changed in the move, read what changed before relying on one for an offence after 1 July 2024.
Sources
- Correspondence Table and Comparison Summary of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 to the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, Bureau of Police Research & Development, Ministry of Home Affairs, page 11.
- Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023: bare Act with Corresponding Section Table, National Crime Records Bureau (Sankalan), page 23.
- The Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (Act 1 of 1872), as amended, India Code, Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice.
BPR&D is the Bureau of Police Research & Development (Ministry of Home Affairs); NCRB the National Crime Records Bureau. Their correspondence tables are training aids, not law. This page is general information, not legal advice on any case; the bare Acts as published by the Government of India are the authority.