Broken Chain
Definition
Any gap, ambiguity, or contradiction in the custody record that prevents the court from concluding the analysed item is the seized item.
- Definition
- Gap, ambiguity or contradiction in custody record
- Effect
- Prevents court concluding analysed item is seized item
- Context
- Chain of custody law and evidence admissibility
Common questions
Does a broken chain automatically make evidence inadmissible?+
Not automatically; courts vary in how they treat a broken chain, with some excluding the evidence and others admitting it while treating the gap as going to weight rather than admissibility, so the practical effect depends on the jurisdiction and the severity of the gap.
What is the most common cause of a broken chain in practice?+
Common causes include missing or inconsistent signatures on custody logs, unexplained gaps in storage records, evidence transferred without documentation, or seal numbers that do not match between seizure and laboratory receipt records.
Related terms
- Chain of Custody
- The documented chronological record of who collected, handled, transferred, and examined a piece of evidence. For digital evidence, chain of custody includes...
- Forwarding Memo
- The transmittal document that accompanies a sealed packet to the FSL. Most Indian states use a state-numbered Form carrying the IO's signature,...
- Sealed Packet Protocol
- The convention that every transfer of an evidence packet between custodians is logged, with the seal inspected and the inspection signed off...
- Seizure Memo (Panchnama)
- The on-scene record of items recovered, witnessed by independent panch witnesses. Signed by the IO and the panchas.