Indian Evidence Act, 1872
60. Oral evidence must be direct
Oral evidence must, in
all cases whatever, be direct; that is to say—
if it refers to a fact
which could be seen, it must be the evidence of a witness who says who says he
saw it;
if it refers to a fact
which could be heard, it must be the evidence of a witness who says he heard
it;
if it refers to a fact
which could be perceived by any other sense or in any other manner, it must be
the evidence of a witness who says he perceived it by that sense or in that
manner;
if it refers to an
opinion or to the grounds on which that opinion is held, it must be the
evidence of the person who holds that opinion on those grounds:
Provided that the
opinions of experts expressed in any treatise commonly offered for sale, and the
grounds on which such opinions are held, may be proved by the production of
such treatises if the author is dead or cannot be found, or has become
incapable of giving evidence, or cannot be called as a witness without an
amount of delay or expense which the Court regards as unreasonable:
Provided also that, if
oral evidence refers to the existence to the existence or condition of any
material thing other than a document, the Court may, if it thinks fit, require
the production of such material thing for its inspection.