Letter of request
Full Text
In lieu of issuing a commission the Court may issue a letter of request to examine a witness residing at any place not within India.
Plain English Summary
Section 77 empowers Indian civil courts to issue a Letter of Request (Letters Rogatory) through diplomatic channels to judicial authorities of a foreign country to examine a witness residing outside India in lieu of issuing a formal commission.
Key Legal Elements
- Transnational Witness Examination: Applies to witnesses residing outside India.
- Letters Rogatory Mechanism: Substitutes domestic commissions with sovereign diplomatic Letters of Request.
- Comity of Nations: Relies on international judicial assistance treaties and reciprocal bilateral conventions.
- Discretionary Foreign Remedy: Court must be satisfied that the foreign evidence is indispensable and bona fide.
Practical Note
Letters Rogatory, Diplomatic Channels & International Judicial Assistance: (1) Diplomatic Transmission: Unlike domestic commissions, a Section 77 Letter of Request cannot be directly mailed to foreign courts; it is routed through the Ministry of Law and Justice and the Ministry of External Affairs under reciprocal treaties or the Hague Evidence Convention (where applicable). (2) High Evidentiary Threshold: The party seeking a Letter of Request must establish that the foreign witness's evidence is strictly necessary, cannot be produced domestically, and that issuing the request is not a dilatory tactic.
हिंदी पाठ
कमीशन निकालने के बदले में न्यायालय भारत से बाहर किसी स्थान में निवास करने वाले किसी साक्षी की परीक्षा करने के लिए अनुरोध-पत्र (Letter of Request / Letters Rogatory) निकाल सकेगा।