Section31
The Indian Evidence Act, 1872

Admissions not conclusive proof, but may estop

Repealed From 01 Sep 1872 Act 1 of 1872 As on 18 Oct 2026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This provision is repealed. Repealed by section 170 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (47 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024.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 31 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 deals with admissions not conclusive proof, but may estop. Admissions are not conclusive proof of the matters admitted but they may operate as estoppels under the provisions hereinafter contained. 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 Repealed by section 170 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (47 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024, but conduct before that date is still charged, tried and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.

Admissions are not conclusive proof of the matters admitted but they may operate as estoppels under the provisions hereinafter contained. STATEMENTS BY PERSONS WHO CANNOT BE CALLED AS WITNESSES

Section 31, The Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (Act 1 of 1872).

Now in the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam

BSA 25 Admissions not conclusive proof, but may estop Text carried over almost unchanged 95%

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 The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force.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

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.

  1. High Court 08 Jun 2022 KAHC020131642010

    … That per se does not advance the case of claimants in any way. The admissions made in the pleadings are ordinarily treated with heavy presumptive value regard being had to Section 31 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. However, if rules of pleadings are not applicable to MVC proceedings, the rules of evidence are also stricto sensu equally not applicable. Be that as it may. (d) The vehement contention of the claimants that the owner of offending vehicle in his written statements has admitted …

    Read this order on eCourtsIndia

Questions about Section 31

What does Section 31 of the Indian Evidence Act deal with?

Section 31 of the Indian Evidence Act is headed "Admissions not conclusive proof, but may estop". Admissions are not conclusive proof of the matters admitted but they may operate as estoppels under the provisions hereinafter contained.

How do I find court cases under Section 31 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 31, section 31 IEA, section 31 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 31 of the Indian Evidence Act, and has it changed?

For anything done on or after 1 July 2024 the provision to read is BSA 25 (Admissions not conclusive proof, but may estop), which replaced it; conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under this section.

When did Section 31 of the Indian Evidence Act come into force?

Section 31 of the Indian Evidence Act, cited as IEA 31, 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.