289.
(SC) 14-07-2020
A. Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872), Section 65B(4) – Electronic evidence – Certification of – Authority of -- Person who gives this certificate can be anyone out of several persons who occupy a ‘responsible official position’ in relation to the operation of the relevant device, as also the person who may otherwise be in the ‘management of relevant activities’ spoken of in Sub-section (4) of Section 65B – Considering that such certificate may also be given long after the electronic record has actually been produced by the computer, Section 65B(4) makes it clear that it is sufficient that such person gives the requisite certificate to the “best of his knowledge and belief” (Obviously, the word “and” between knowledge and belief in Section 65B(4) must be read as “or”, as a person cannot testify to the best of his knowledge and belief at the same time).
(Para 58)
B. Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872), Section 65B(4) -- Electronic evidence – Requirement of -- Certificate required u/s 65B(4) is a condition precedent to the admissibility of evidence by way of electronic record, as correctly held in Anvar P.V. (2014) 10 SCC 473, and incorrectly “clarified” in Shafhi Mohammed, (2018) 2 SCC 801.
-- Oral evidence in the place of such certificate cannot possibly suffice as Section 65B(4) is a mandatory requirement of the law.
-- Section 65B(4) of the Evidence Act clearly states that secondary evidence is admissible only if lead in the manner stated and not otherwise. To hold otherwise would render Section 65B(4) otiose.
-- Anvar P.V., (2014) 10 SCC 473 as clarified is law declared by Supreme Court on Section 65B -- Judgment in Tomaso Bruno, (2015) 7 SCC 178 being per incuriam, does not lay down the law correctly -- Also, the judgment reported as Shafhi Mohammad (2018) 2 SCC 801 and the judgment (2018) 5 SCC 311, do not lay down the law correctly and are therefore overruled.
Clarification referred to above is that the required certificate u/s 65B(4) is unnecessary if the original document itself is produced. This can be done by the owner of a laptop computer, computer tablet or even a mobile phone, by stepping into the witness box and proving that the concerned device, on which the original information is first stored, is owned and/or operated by him. In cases where the “computer” happens to be a part of a “computer system” or “computer network” and it becomes impossible to physically bring such system or network to the Court, then the only means of providing information contained in such electronic record can be in accordance with Section 65B(1), together with the requisite certificate u/s 65B(4). The last sentence in Anvar P.V. (supra) which reads as “…if an electronic record as such is used as primary evidence under Section 62 of the Evidence Act…” is thus clarified; it is to be read without the words “under Section 62 of the Evidence Act,…” With this clarification, the law stated in paragraph 24 of Anvar P.V. (supra) does not need to be revisited.
(Para 59, 72, 120)
Reference answered
C. Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872), Section 39 -- Information Technology Act, 2000 (21 of 2000), Section 67C – Electronic evidence – Call Details records and other records – Preservation of -- General directions are issued to cellular companies and internet service providers to maintain CDRs and other relevant records for the concerned period (in tune with Section 39 of the Evidence Act) in a segregated and secure manner if a particular CDR or other record is seized during investigation in the said period -- Concerned parties can then summon such records at the stage of defence evidence, or in the event such data is required to cross-examine a particular witness -- This direction shall be applied, in criminal trials, till appropriate directions are issued under relevant terms of the applicable licenses, or under Section 67C of the Information Technology Act
-- The general directions shall hereafter be followed by courts that deal with electronic evidence, to ensure their preservation, and production of certificate at the appropriate stage -- These directions shall apply in all proceedings, till rules and directions under Section 67C of the Information Technology Act and data retention conditions are formulated for compliance by telecom and internet service providers.
-- Appropriate rules and directions should be framed in exercise of the Information Technology Act, by exercising powers such as in Section 67C, and also framing suitable rules for the retention of data involved in trial of offences, their segregation, rules of chain of custody, stamping and record maintenance, for the entire duration of trials and appeals, and also in regard to preservation of the meta data to avoid corruption. Likewise, appropriate rules for preservation, retrieval and production of electronic record, should be framed as indicated earlier, after considering the report of the Committee constituted by the Chief Justice’s Conference in April, 2016.
(Para 62, 72, 120)
Reference answered
V. RAMASUBRAMANIAN, J.’s view
A. Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872), Section 65B -- It is the need of the hour that there is a relook at Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act, introduced 20 years ago, by Act 21 of 2000, and which has created a huge judicial turmoil, with the law swinging from one extreme to the other in the past 15 years from State (NCT of Delhi) vs. Navjot Sandhu, (2005) 11 SCC 600] to Anvar P.V. vs. P.K. Basheer, (2014) 10 SCC 473] to Tomaso Bruno vs. State of UP, (2015) 7 SCC 178] to Sonu vs. State of Haryana, (2017) 8 SCC 570 to Shafhi Mohammad vs. The State of Himachal Pradesh, (2018) 2 SCC 801.
(Para 120)