Evidence Act 54 vs BSA 49: Previous bad character not relevant, except in reply
Section 54 of the Indian Evidence Act is now section 49 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, in force from 1 July 2024. 98% of the old wording is kept; 1 word removed and nothing added.
Struck out: only in the old section. Marked: new in the new section. Punctuation and capitals are ignored when matching words.
Evidence Act section 54Previous bad character not relevant, except in reply
In criminal proceedings, the fact that the accused person has a bad character, is irrelevant, unless evidence has been given that he has a good character, in which case it becomes relevant. Explanation 1.—This section does not apply to cases in which the bad character of any person is itself a fact in issue. Explanation 2.—A previous conviction is relevant as evidence of bad character.
BSA section 49Previous bad character not relevant, except in reply
In criminal proceedings, the fact that the accused has a bad character, is irrelevant, unless evidence has been given that he has a good character, in which case it becomes relevant. Explanation 1.—This section does not apply to cases in which the bad character of any person is itself a fact in issue. Explanation 2.—A previous conviction is relevant as evidence of bad character.
Text of both sections from India Code, as in our Bare Acts library. Footnotes and amendment notes are on the section pages. Find any other section with the section converter.