BSA 2023 (Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023)
Definition
India's evidence law that replaced the Indian Evidence Act 1872, governing the admissibility of documents and expert opinions in Indian courts; together with the BNSS 2023, it frames the legal requirements for establishing the continuity and admissibility of seized chemical exhibits.
- Enacted
- 2023
- Replaces
- Indian Evidence Act 1872
- Companion statute
- BNSS 2023
- Governs
- Admissibility of documents, expert opinions
- Jurisdiction
- India
Common questions
How does the BSA 2023 affect chain-of-custody documentation for chemical exhibits?+
It does not prescribe seizure procedure itself, but its rules on document and record admissibility mean custody logs, seals and transfer memos created under the BNSS must be intact and provable for exhibits to be accepted in evidence.
What happens if a break in custody is shown for an exhibit governed by the BSA?+
A proven gap does not automatically exclude the evidence, but it weakens its evidentiary weight and gives the defence grounds to challenge whether the exhibit examined in the lab is the one seized at the scene.
Related terms
- ASTM E1492
- Standard Practice for Receiving, Documenting, Storing, and Retrieving Evidence in a Forensic Science Laboratory: establishes container requirements for fire debris (metal can...
- Chain of Custody (CoC)
- The documented sequence of individuals who had possession of, access to, or control over a physical exhibit from the moment of its...
- Court Sample
- In India under the NDPS (Seizure, Storage, Sampling and Disposal) Rules 2014, a duplicate sealed sample drawn at the time of seizure...
- DEA Form DEA-7
- The US Drug Enforcement Administration's Report of Drug Property Collected, Purchased or Seized: the primary chain-of-custody document that records every custodian, transfer...
- FSR Codes of Practice and Conduct
- Mandatory requirements issued by the UK Forensic Science Regulator under the Forensic Science Regulator Act 2021, governing exhibit management, method validation, contamination...
- Mahazar (Panchnama)
- In Indian criminal procedure, a document drawn at the time of search and seizure in the presence of independent witnesses (Panchas), recording...
- Permeability (Packaging)
- The rate at which molecules of a gas or vapour pass through a solid membrane. Polyethylene has significant permeability to volatile organic...
- Tamper-Evident Sealing
- Packaging closure that makes any opening of the package visible: heat-sealed bags, security adhesive tape with a void pattern that transfers on...
- TWGFEX / SWGMAT
- Technical Working Group for Fire and Explosion Investigation (now the OSAC Ignitable Liquids, Explosives, and Gunshot Residue Subcommittee): the US body that...