Criminal Evidence Act - Law Dictionary Search Results
Home Dictionary Name: criminal evidence actCriminal Evidence Act
Criminal Evidence Act, 1898 (English) (61 & 62 Vict. c. 36), the general Act by which every person charged with an offence and his or her wife or husband became a competent, but not a compellable, witness for the defence at every stage of the proceedings.The Evidence Acts, 1851 and 1853, whichmade parties and spouses admissible witnesses (they having been previously incompetent on the groundof interest), expressly excepted criminal proceedings from its opertion; but a series of enactments dealing with particular offences, from the Licensing Act, 1872, downto the Chaff Cutting Machines Accidents Act, 1897 (of which s. 20 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1885, was by far the most important), did away with this exception, in particular cases and in varying phraseology, but without qualifications except that against compellability, and enabled accused persons to give evidenceon oath in their own defence.The Act of 1898, superseding [see Charnock v. Merchant, (1900) 1 QB 474] but not expr...
Confession
Confession, a statement in order to amount to a 'confession' must either admit in terms the offence, or at any rate substantially all the facts which constitute the offence. An admission of an incriminating fact, howsoever grave, is not byitself a confession. A statement which contains an exculpatory assertion of some fact, which if true, would negative the offence alleged cannot amount to a confession, Veera Ibrahim v. State of Maharashtra, (1976) 2 SCC 302: AIR 1976 SC 1167 (1171): (1967) 3 SCR 672. [Evidence Act (1 of 1987), s. 24]'Confession' in common acceptation means and implies acknowledgment of guilt--its evidentiary value and its acceptability however shall have to be assessed by the Court having due regard to the credibility of the witnesses. In the event, however, the Court is otherwise in a position having due regard to the attending circumstances believes the witness before whom the confession is made and is otherwise satisfied that the confession is in fact voluntary and...
Evidence
Evidence, proof, either written or unwritten, of allegations in issue between parties.Something (including testimony, documents and tangible objects) that tends to prove or disprove the existence of an alleged fact, Black's Law Dictionary, 7th Edn., p. 575.The leading rules of evidence are the following:-(1) The sole object and end of evidence is to ascertain the truth of the several disputed facts or points in issue; and no evidence ought to be admitted which is not relevant to the issues. As to when evidence of collateral facts is admissible, see Hales v. Kerr, (1908) 2 KB 601; Butterley Co. v. New Hucknall Colliery Co., (1909) 1 Ch 37. As to acts showing a continuous course of conduct, see R. v. Mortimer, 25 Cr App Cas 150.(2) The point in issue is to be proved by the party who asserts the affirmative; according to the maxim affirmanti non neganti incumbit probatio. See BURDEN OF PROOF.(3) It will be sufficient to prove the substance of the issue.(4) The best evidence must be given ...
Witness
Witness, is a person who testifies in a court, Webster Random House Dictionary, p. 1680.Witness, one who gives evidence in a cause.1. One who sees, knows, or vouches for something2. One who gives testimony, under oath or affirmation, Black's Law Dictionary, 7th Edn., p. 1596.A witness must attend in court according to the requirement of his subp'na. If he has not been paid his lawful expenses, he may refuse to be sworn; but if he be once sworn, he must give his evidence. See OATH and AFFIRMATION.In civil cases, as a rule, husband and wife are competent and compellable witnesses against each other [Evidence Amendment Act, 1853 (16 & 17 Vict. c. 83), s. 1], but husbands and wives are not compellable to disclose communications between each other (s. 3 ibid.). As to criminal cases, see Criminal Evidence Act, 1898, as amended, and that title.A witness is not obliged to answer any question which tends to criminate him.On the application of either party, all the witnesses on both sides are or...
Cross-examination
Cross-examination, the examination of a witness by the opposite side, generally after examination in chief, but some times without such examination; as in the case of an examination on the voir dire, which is in the nature of a cross-examination (see VOIR DIRE); and also if one party calls a witness,and he is sworn, the other party may cross-examine him, although the party who has called him put no question at all to him. Some times questions in cross-examination are allowed by the judge after re-examination. See RE-EXAMINATION. And if a witness be called to prove some preliminary and collateral matter only, as the handwriting of a document tendered in evidence, he is a witness in the cause, and may be cross-examined as to any of the issues in the cause.As to theform of the cross-examination, leading questions are allowed, which is not the case in examination in chief.The questions must be relevant to the issue (see infra), but great latitude is allowed, as a question seemingly irrelev...
Character
Character. Witnesses to speak to the good character of a prisoner may be called by him in his defence, and, if they speak to nothing else, it is the custom that the counsel for the prosecution should not reply. it is not allowable to state any particulars of the prisoner'' conduct, either in proof of his good or bad character; but if he call witnesses to his good character, a previous conviction against him maybe put in evidence. Witnesses to the bad character of prisoner can be called only to contradict witnesses to his good character, and evidence so called must be confined to general reputation, R. v. Rowton, (1865) 34 LJ MC 57. But a previous conviction may then be given in evidence in many cases, as in any case of an offence against the (English) Larceny Act, 1861 (24 & 25 Vict. c. 96), by s. 116 of that Act.Questioning of Witness.--A witness may also be questioned as to whether he has been convicted of any felony or misdemeanour, and proof of his conviction may be given if he eit...
Accomplice
Accomplice [fr. complice, Fr., complex, Lat., bound up with one in a project, but always in a bad sense], one concerned with another or others in the commission of a crime, Hawk. P.C. 87. An accomplice could always be called to give evidence, and by virtue of (English) Lord Denman's Act, 1843 (6 & 7 Vict. C. 85), s. 1, even though convicted, and now by virtue of the Criminal Evidence Act, 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. C. 36), s. 1, he can with his consent be called for the defence, but should he give evidence tending to incriminate his co-prisoner, such co-prisoner may cross-examine him, R. v. Hadwen, 1902 (1) KB 882; see also R. v. Rowland, 1910 (1) KB 458; R. v. Paul, 1920 (2) KB 183). See APPROVER.The word 'accomplice' has not been defined by the Evidence Act and it is generally understood that an accomplice means a guilty associate or partner in crime. An accomplice by becoming an approver becomes a prosecution witness, M. Shamsudhin v. State of Kerala, (1999) 3 SCC 351 (357): 1995 SCC (Cri)...
Nemo tenetur prodere seipsum
Nemo tenetur prodere seipsum, (No one is bound to betray himself.) No one is bound to swear to the fact of his own criminality, no one can be forced to give his own oath in evidence of his guilt.The (English) Evidence Act, 1851 (14 & 15 Vict. c. 99), which by s. 5 makes parties admissible witnesses in actions, expressly saved criminal proceedings from its operation, but a series of particular enactments, e.g., the (English) Licensing Act, 1872, s. 51, the (English) Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1885, s. 20, and the (English) Law of Libel Amendment Act, 1888, s. 9, and finally the general (English) Criminal Evidence Act, 1898 (see that title), make defendants competent, but not compellable, to give evidence....
Previous conviction
Previous conviction. The 11th s. of the (English) Criminal Law Act, 1827 (7 & 8 Geo. 4, c. 28), reciting that 'it is expedient to provide for the more exemplary punishment of offenders who commit felony after a previous conviction for felony,' empowered a Court to inflict transportation for life and whipping for such subsequent conviction. Penal servitude has since been substituted for transportation, and the whipping is abolished. The (English) Larceny Act, 1916 (6 & 7 Geo. 5, c. 50), by s. 37, authorizes the infliction of penal servitude up to ten years on those committing simple larceny after having been previously convicted of felony and up to seven years if previously convicted of an indictable misdemeanour punishable under the Act or twice summarily convicted of certain other offences; males under sixteen are liable to whipping in addition.Frequently statutes [see, e.g., (English) Licensing Act, 1872, s. 12, as to drunkenness; (English) Road Traffic Act, 1930, s. 13; (English) Tr...
Threatening or inducing any person to give false evidence
Threatening or inducing any person to give false evidence, see Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (2 of 1974), s. 195A. [See also Criminal Law (Amend-ment) Act, 2005 (2 of 2006), s. 2]...
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