Relevancy of statements as to any law contained in law books including electronic or digital form
Section 32 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 deals with relevancy of statements as to any law contained in law books including electronic or digital form. When the Court has to form an opinion as to a law of any country, any statement of such law contained in a book purporting to be printed or published including in electronic or digital form under the authority of the Government of such country and to contain any such law, and any report of a ruling The Act came into force on 01 Jul 2024.
When the Court has to form an opinion as to a law of any country, any statement of such law contained in a book purporting to be printed or published including in electronic or digital form under the authority of the Government of such country and to contain any such law, and any report of a ruling of the Courts of such country contained in a book including in electronic or digital form purporting to be a report of such rulings, is relevant.
Section 32, The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (Act 47 of 2023).
Replaces a provision of the Indian Evidence Act
IEA 38 Relevancy of statements as to any law contained in law-books Close, with changes 82%
Measured by comparing the text of the two provisions, not taken from an official correspondence table — there is no machine-readable one. See both texts side by side before relying on it.
Both regimes are live. The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force. We never redirect one to the other.
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Dhirajlal @ Dhirubhai Babaria, Ashwin @ Ashwinbhai Babaria vs Navinbhai C. Dave, ANR
Decided under Indian Evidence Act 38, which this section replaces. The court did not have this Act before it.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Dealing with proof of Texas law, the Court held that under the Indian scheme the court may take judicial notice of a foreign statute contained in a book published under the authority of that government and that expert evidence of foreign law is admissible, but that the expert's function stops at stating what the foreign law is: applying that law to the facts and commenting on the merits belongs exclusively to the Court, and those portions of the expert's witness statement were struck off as inadmissible.
On this section: Marks the boundary of the provision now in BSA section 32 - the statement of foreign law in an authorised law book or reported ruling is what the court receives, and it is the court, not the witness, that construes and applies it.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… The words ' relevant facts ' have been included in Section 4 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (the BSA), based on the judgment of the Apex Court on the point. However, Section 26 of the BSA, which corresponds to Section 32 of the Evidence Act, the words ' facts in issue ' have not been included, which is a clear indication that the legislature wanted to confine the matters referred to in the eight clauses of Section 32 only to ' relevant facts ' and not to ' facts in issue '. This would indicate that the matters coming within the …
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… The words ' relevant facts ' have been included in Section 4 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (the BSA), based on the judgment of the Apex Court on the point. However, Section 26 of the BSA, which corresponds to Section 32 of the Evidence Act, the words ' facts in issue ' have not been included, which is a clear indication that the legislature wanted to confine the matters referred to in the eight clauses of Section 32 only to ' relevant facts ' and not to ' facts in issue '. This would indicate that the matters coming within the …
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… The words ' relevant facts ' have been included in Section 4 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (the BSA), based on the judgment of the Apex Court on the point. However, Section 26 of the BSA, which corresponds to Section 32 of the Evidence Act, the words ' facts in issue ' have not been included, which is a clear indication that the legislature wanted to confine the matters referred to in the eight clauses of Section 32 only to ' relevant facts ' and not to ' facts in issue '. This would indicate that the matters coming within the …
Questions about Section 32
What have the courts held on Section 32 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam?
Dhirajlal @ Dhirubhai Babaria, Ashwin @ Ashwinbhai Babaria vs Navinbhai C. Dave, ANR (29 Aug 2017) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below, though it was decided under IEA 38, which this section replaced -- the court never mentioned this Act: Marks the boundary of the provision now in BSA section 32 - the statement of foreign law in an authorised law book or reported ruling is what the court receives, and it is the court, not the witness, that construes and applies it.
How do I find court cases under Section 32 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: BSA 32, section 32 BSA, section 32 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. People searching for it also type bsa 32(1) and bsa 32 20. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Dhirajlal @ Dhirubhai Babaria, Ashwin @ Ashwinbhai Babaria vs Navinbhai C. Dave, ANR (29 Aug 2017).
What should I read with Section 32 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, and has it changed?
It carries forward IEA 38 (Relevancy of statements as to any law contained in law-books), so the judgments decided under that provision are the case law on this one.
When did Section 32 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam come into force?
Section 32 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, cited as BSA 32, came into force on 01 Jul 2024, having been enacted on 25 Dec 2023. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 26. Cases in which statement of relevant fact by person who is dead or cannot be found, etc., is relevant1128 words
- 12. Facts showing existence of state of mind, or of body or bodily feeling1076 words
- 95. Exclusion of evidence of oral agreement815 words
- 2. Definitions794 words
- 6. Motive, preparation and previous or subsequent conduct773 words
- 63. Admissibility of electronic records764 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.