What matters may be proved in connection with proved statement relevant under section 26 or 27
Full Text
Whenever any statement, relevant under section 26 or 27, is proved, all matters may be proved either in order to contradict or to corroborate it, or in order to impeach or confirm the credit of the person by whom it was made, which might have been proved if that person had been called as a witness and had denied upon cross-examination the truth of the matter suggested.
Plain English Summary
Allows parties to contradict, corroborate, or impeach statements made by deceased or unavailable persons (under Section 26 or 27) as if they were cross-examined in court.
Key Legal Elements
- Allows a statement admitted under Section 26 (e.g., dying declaration) or Section 27 (e.g., prior testimony) to be contradicted or corroborated.
- Permits impeaching or confirming the credibility of the absent/deceased declarant.
- Grants the same opportunities to challenge or support the statement as if the declarant had appeared in person as a witness.
Practical Note
This is a critical shield and sword in cases involving dying declarations (Section 26 BSA / Section 32 IEA). Because the person who made the statement is dead or cannot be found, they cannot be cross-examined. Under Section 161, you have a statutory right to impeach their credibility or contradict their statement by leading external evidence. For instance, if a dying declaration is proved against your client, you can prove that the deceased had a motive to falsely implicate your client, had a bad reputation for truthfulness, or made other contradictory statements elsewhere, even though they aren't alive to be confronted.
हिंदी पाठ
जब कभी कोई कथन, जो धारा 26 या 27 के अधीन सुसंगत है, साबित किया जाता है, तब उन सभी मामलों को साबित किया जा सकेगा जो या तो उसका खंडन करने या उसकी सम्पुष्टि करने के लिए, अथवा उस व्यक्ति की विश्वसनीयता पर आक्षेप करने या उसकी पुष्टि करने के लिए आवश्यक हों जिसने वह कथन किया था, और जिन्हें तब साबित किया जा सकता था यदि वह व्यक्ति साक्षी के रूप में बुलाया गया होता और प्रतिपरीक्षा में उसने सुझाए गए विषय की सत्यता से इनकार किया होता।