Questions tending to corroborate evidence of relevant fact, admissible
Full Text
When a witness whom it is intended to corroborate gives evidence of any relevant fact, he may be questioned as to any other circumstances which he observed at or near to the time or place at which such relevant fact occurred, if the Court is of opinion that such circumstances, if proved, would corroborate the testimony of the witness as to the relevant fact which he testifies.
Illustration
A, an accomplice, gives an account of a robbery in which he took part. He describes various incidents unconnected with the robbery which occurred on his way to and from the place where it was committed. Independent evidence of these facts may be given in order to corroborate his evidence as to the robbery itself.
Plain English Summary
Allows questioning a witness about surrounding circumstances at the time/place of an event to corroborate their core testimony.
Key Legal Elements
- Permits questions about surrounding circumstances observed by the witness at or near the time/place of the core occurrence.
- Aims to establish reliability by corroborating the witness's memory and presence through independent evidence of collateral facts.
- Requires that the court find these surrounding circumstances logically capable of corroborating the core testimony.
Practical Note
This is a great tool to build the credibility of your witness, especially eye-witnesses or accomplices. By asking them about minor, collateral details surrounding the crime (e.g., a specific shop being open, a distinct car passing by, or the weather conditions at that exact hour) and then leading independent evidence to prove those minor details are true, you indirectly corroborate and prove their presence and reliability on the core charge of robbery or murder. Use this to strengthen a weak or heavily attacked witness statement.
हिंदी पाठ
जब कोई साक्षी, जिसकी सम्पुष्टि करना आशयित है, किसी सुसंगत तथ्य का साक्ष्य देता है, तब उससे किन्हीं भी ऐसी अन्य परिस्थितियों के बारे में पूछा जा सकेगा जिन्हें उसने उस समय या स्थान के पास या समीप देखा था, जिस समय या स्थान पर ऐसा सुसंगत तथ्य घटित हुआ था, यदि न्यायालय की यह राय हो कि ऐसी परिस्थितियां, यदि साबित हो जाएं, तो साक्षी द्वारा दिए गए साक्ष्य की सम्पुष्टि उस सुसंगत तथ्य के बारे में करेंगी जिसकी वह गवाही देता है।
दृष्टान्त
'क', जो एक सह-अपराधी है, एक डकैती का वृत्तान्त देता है जिसमें उसने भाग लिया था। वह उस स्थान को जाने और वहाँ से आने के मार्ग में, जहाँ डकैती की गई थी, घटित विभिन्न घटनाओं का वर्णन करता है जो डकैती से असंबद्ध हैं। डकैती के बारे में ही उसके साक्ष्य की सम्पुष्टि करने के लिए इन तथ्यों का स्वतंत्र साक्ष्य दिया जा सकेगा।