"Lok Sabha passes Bankers' Books Evidence Bill amid data privacy concerns"
Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891
colonial law allowing certified copies of bank records as court evidence, now replaced.
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The Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891 is among India's oldest pieces of financial legislation, enacted under British colonial rule to spare bank officials the burden of physically producing original ledgers in court every time a case required documentary proof. The Act allowed certified copies of entries in bankers' books to be admitted as evidence in legal proceedings — a pragmatic solution for an era of handwritten ledgers and physical registers. Over the following century, banking transformed dramatically: from branch-level physical records to centralised core banking solutions, electronic databases, and cloud-hosted data infrastructure. The Information Technology Act, 2000 partially addressed electronic records in a general sense, but a dedicated overhaul of the 1891 Act was considered necessary to give courts and litigants a clear, purpose-built framework for digital banking evidence. The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam — the general evidence law that replaced the Indian Evidence Act — introduced certificate requirements (analogous to the old Section 65B) for electronic records, but the banking-specific statute lagged behind. The Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026, passed by the Lok Sabha, is the government's response to this 135-year gap.
The legislative journey of an ordinary (non-money) Bill in Parliament follows a structured path: introduction in either House, optional referral to a Standing Committee, clause-by-clause consideration, and passage by a simple majority of members present and voting, followed by the same process in the other House and Presidential assent. Standing Committees serve as the primary mechanism for pre-legislative scrutiny — examining technical provisions, hearing expert witnesses, and recommending amendments — especially when floor time is limited or disrupted.
The Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026 makes several substantive changes to the existing legal framework. Most significantly, it expands the definition of 'bankers' books' beyond the 1891 Act's narrow formulation — which covered only records in written form or stored on microfilm, magnetic tape, or mechanical/electronic retrieval mechanisms — to explicitly include records stored in electronic or digital form, whether onsite, offsite, virtual, or on cloud infrastructure. This definitional expansion is critical because courts had previously grappled with whether cloud-hosted banking records fell within the old Act's scope.
To standardise how digital records are authenticated in court, the Bill introduces specific certificate formats — analogous to the certificate requirement under the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam for electronic evidence — that must accompany certified copies. These certificates are designed to assure courts of the genuineness and integrity of the digital copy produced. The Bill also clarifies the long-ambiguous concept of 'special cause' under which courts could compel bank officers to appear as witnesses even when the bank was not a party to the case. The 1891 Act used the term without defining it; the 2026 Bill defines it as covering situations where the accuracy of a record is doubtful, where regular record-keeping has been interrupted, or where the bank has disobeyed an inspection order. …
Which of the following statements are correct in respect of a Money Bill in the Parliament?
1.Article 109 mentions special procedure in respect of Money Bills.
2.A Money Bill shall not be introduced in the Council of States.
3.The Rajya Sabha can either approve the Bill or suggest changes but cannot reject it.
4.Amendments to a Money Bill suggested by the Rajya Sabha have to be accepted by the Lok Sabha.
Select the answer using the code given below:
With reference to the Indian Parliament, consider the following statements:
1.A bill pending in the Lok Sabha lapses on its dissolution.
2.A bill passed by the Lok Sabha and pending in the Rajya Sabha lapses on the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
3.A bill in regard to which the President of India notified his/her intention to summon the Houses to a joint sitting lapses on the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements:
1.The Rajya Sabha has no power either to reject or to amend a Money Bill.
2.The Rajya Sabha cannot vote on the Demands for Grants.
3.The Rajya Sabha cannot discuss the Annual Financial Statement.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to the Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026, consider the following statements:
1.It expands the definition of 'bankers' books' to include records stored in cloud or virtual locations.
2.It introduces a new power allowing Superintendent of Police-rank officers to demand bank records, which did not exist under the 1891 Act.
3.It defines 'special cause' for the first time, covering situations of record inaccuracy and interrupted record-keeping.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Assertion (A): Section 4 of the Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026, which empowers the Union government to extend the law's provisions to any financial entity by executive notification, has been criticised on grounds of excessive delegation.
Reason (R): The doctrine of excessive delegation holds that Parliament cannot transfer its essential legislative functions to the executive without laying down adequate guidelines or safeguards.
Which of the following is correct?
With reference to the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam and digital evidence in India, which of the following is correct?
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