From Ledgers to the Cloud: Replacing an 1891 Evidence Law Written for Handwritten Books
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Article summary
The Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 3 August 2026 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, to replace the Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891, which has governed the production of banking records in Indian courts for over 135 years. The Bill widens the definition of bankers' books to cover all records maintained by a bank, whether physical, digital, electronic, cloud-based or in any other form, and recasts the framework so that access to banking evidence is preserved while banks are protected from being drawn into proceedings merely as record-keepers. The stated approach is better-targeted judicial oversight rather than unrestricted access. The same sitting saw the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026 introduced by the Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation. Both belong to a wider programme of replacing colonial-era statutes with contemporary law.
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Sample questions — answers revealed after test
Q1. Which statute replaced the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 as India's general law of evidence?
Q2. The Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891 was significant in the law of evidence because it:
Q3. Consider the following statements about the Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026: 1. It widens the definition of bankers' books to cover records in physical, digital, electronic and cloud-based form. 2. Authenticating a digital record shifts the enquiry from comparing a copy against an original to establishing the reliability of the system that generated it. 3. Because banking records concern the account holder alone, compelled disclosure raises no privacy interest for third parties. Which of the statements given above are correct?