Presumption as to collections of laws and reports of decisions.
What this section does
The Court shall presume the genuineness of every book purporting to be printed or published under the authority of any country's government and containing the laws of that country, and of every book purporting to contain reports of decisions of the courts of such country. This presumption applies to both domestic and foreign official legal publications.
AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).
The rule in one line
Court must presume genuineness of officially published law books and court-decision reports of any country.
When it applies
- A volume purporting to be the official compilation of statutes of a foreign country published under government authority is presumed genuine without further proof.
- A book purporting to contain reported decisions of the Supreme Court of a foreign jurisdiction is presumed genuine when produced in Indian proceedings.
Derived from IEA s.84.
Read the official text
For the binding statutory text of BSA Section 83, refer to the Gazette of India or the India Code official website.
Why this matters
BSA Section 83 forms part of Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam which replaced the Indian Evidence Act 1872 on 1 July 2024. Any new filing, FIR, charge sheet, or bail application made on or after that date should cite the new section number. References to the old act in legacy documents remain valid for matters that arose before the changeover.