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The Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 2026 will come into force on 1 October 2026, appointed by a Gazette notification dated 10 September 2026.
It received the President's assent on 13 August 2026 and replaces the Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891.
The new Act is technology-neutral: it recognises banking records kept in physical, electronic, digital, virtual, cloud-based and other contemporary forms.
Certification of banking records is simplified and standardised, and may be done through manual, digital or electronic signatures.
A court must record a 'special cause' in writing before summoning a bank official where the bank is not a party to the proceedings.
| Aspect | Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891 | Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Record forms recognised | Written form, microfilm, magnetic tape and other mechanical or electronic retrieval mechanisms | Physical, electronic, digital, virtual and cloud-based forms, including offsite, back-up and disaster-recovery locations |
| Certification | Certified copy in the form the old Act prescribed | Simplified, standardised certification, allowing manual, digital or electronic signature |
| Summoning bank officials | No express threshold in the parent framework | Court must record a 'special cause' in writing where the bank is not a party |
| Reach beyond banks | Confined to banks as defined in the Act | Central Government may extend it to specified financial sector entities or classes |
The repealed law. Its device was the certified copy — a bank could put a certified extract of its books before a court instead of producing the original ledgers, which the 2026 Act retains but modernises.
Replaced the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 with effect from 1 July 2024 and treats electronic and digital records as primary evidence rather than secondary. The 2026 Act aligns banking records with that shift.
Gave legal recognition to electronic records and digital signatures, and introduced the certification regime for computer output into evidence law — Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, now carried forward as Section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023.
Section 138 makes dishonour of a cheque for insufficiency of funds a punishable offence. Prosecutions under it turn on bank records, which is where certification rules decide how quickly a case can be proved.
Central bank and banking regulator; the framework for bank records operates within its regulatory environment
The department that steers banking legislation, including this Act, through Parliament
General Awareness > Banking Regulation and Legal Framework
GS Paper 2 > Polity and Governance > Legislation and Statutory Reform
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Answer: I, II and V
In which year was the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) established?
Answer: 1935
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Answer: Only two
An extract of a bank's records, certified by an authorised officer, that a court may accept in place of producing the original books.
A statute written so that it applies whatever the medium of record — paper, tape, server or cloud — without needing amendment for each new technology.
The reason a court must record in writing before summoning a bank official in a proceeding to which the bank is not a party.