Section147
The Indian Evidence Act, 1872

When witness to be compelled to answer

Repealed From 01 Sep 1872 Act 1 of 1872 As on 16 Oct 2026

Act 1 of 1872 Ministry Law and Justice Enacted 15 Mar 1872 In force 01 Sep 1872

This provision is repealed. Repealed by section 170 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (47 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024. It is reproduced because conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under it.

Section 147 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 deals with when witness to be compelled to answer. If any such question relates to a matter relevant to the suit or proceeding, the provisions of section 132 shall apply thereto. The Act came into force on 01 Sep 1872. Repealed by section 170 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (47 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024, but conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under it.

If any such question relates to a matter relevant to the suit or proceeding, the provisions of section 132 shall apply thereto.

Section 147, The Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (Act 1 of 1872).

Now in the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam

BSA 150 When witness to be compelled to answer Text carried over almost unchanged 100%

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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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.

Cross-references

Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.

Questions about Section 147

What does Section 147 of the Indian Evidence Act deal with?

Section 147 of the Indian Evidence Act is headed "When witness to be compelled to answer". If any such question relates to a matter relevant to the suit or proceeding, the provisions of section 132 shall apply thereto.

How do I find court cases under Section 147 of the Indian Evidence Act?

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: IEA 147, section 147 IEA, section 147 of the Indian Evidence Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.

What should I read with Section 147 of the Indian Evidence Act, and has it changed?

Its own text turns on section 132 (Witness not excused from answering on ground that answer will criminate), so none of them can safely be read on its own. For anything done on or after 1 July 2024 the provision to read is BSA 150 (When witness to be compelled to answer), which replaced it; conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under this section.

When did Section 147 of the Indian Evidence Act come into force?

Section 147 of the Indian Evidence Act, cited as IEA 147, came into force on 01 Sep 1872, having been enacted on 15 Mar 1872. It is no longer in force.

Other sections of this Act

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. Recovered from the consolidated text published by India Code (item e51341fa-7528-4327-9a57-5d194e16db6f). This page is not a substitute for legal advice.