Evidence of terms of contracts, grants and other dispositions of property reduced to form of document.

What this section does

When the terms of a contract, grant, or other disposition of property have been reduced to writing, or where law requires a matter to be in writing, no oral or other evidence may be given to prove those terms — only the document itself or admissible secondary evidence is permitted. Two exceptions exist: proof of appointment of a public officer in writing, and wills admitted to probate proved by the probate. The section applies whether the transaction is in one or more documents.

AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).

The rule in one line

The best-evidence / document-exclusivity rule: terms of a written contract, grant, or disposition must be proved by the document itself, not by oral evidence.

When it applies

• A contract contained in a series of letters must be proved by producing all those letters, not by oral testimony about their contents.
• A bill of exchange must itself be produced to prove the contract it embodies; oral evidence of its terms is inadmissible.

Derived from IEA s.91.