this paper deals with the legal status of evidence of an accomplice
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STATUS OF EVIDENCE OF AN ACCOMPLICE UNDER INDIANEVIDENCE ACT,
1872ContentsI.
Introduction..................................................................................................................2II.
Research
Methodology.................................................................................................41.
Aims and
Objectives.................................................................................................42.
Nature of
roject.......................................................................................................4!.
"ources of
#ata.........................................................................................................44.
"co$e and
%imitation................................................................................................4&.
Research
'uestions...................................................................................................4(.
Mode of
)itation.......................................................................................................&III.
Accom$lice *vidence+ Issues And
ers$ectives.......................................................(I.
,ho Is An
Accom$lice-.......................................................................................(II.
Accom$lices. /ra$ ,itnesses. unters. "$ies. #ecoys. Informers
etc.................0III. 1urden of roof+ ,hether ,itness is an
Accom$lice or not-...........................2I3. )om$etency of
Accom$lice as
,itness............................................................2I3.
Accom$lice *vidence and )onfession of
)o4accused..............................................153.
Accom$lice and "e6ual
)rimes.................................................................................153I.
Accom$lice *vidence+ /he 'uestion Of
)orroboration............................................113II.
Necessity of
)orroboration.....................................................................................123III.
Nature of
)orroboration.........................................................................................12I7.
*6tent of
)orroboration.............................................................................................1!7.
A$$reciation of Accom$lice *vidence+ /he )orroboration
Issue.............................147I. *nglish %a8 3s. Indian %a8+
A )om$arative
Analysis............................................1(7II.
)onclusion..............................................................................................................12References..........................................................................................................................25
STATUS OF EVIDENCE OF AN ACCOMPLICE UNDER INDIANEVIDENCE ACT,
1872I. INTRODUCTION "ection1!!oftheIndian*vidence Act.
10921istheonlyabsoluteruleofla8dealing8ithaccom$lice evidence.2
:o8ever it is the o$inion of some that this section is redundant as
"ection110 ma;es all $ersons com$etent to testify e6ce$t those
$ersons 8hich the section s$ecificallybars.
Moreoverthereisnorule8hichre 8hich lays do8n the $resum$tion that
anaccom$lice is un8orthy of credit unless he is corroborated in
material $articulars. /hus o8ing tothis conflict bet8een "ection
114=b> and "ection 1!! some e6$erts feel that "ection 1!!
shouldhave been omitted and the la8 relating to accom$lice evidence
8ould have been the same as it isno8 and the a8;8ardness of
a$$earing to sanction a $ractice so universally condemned 8ouldhave
been avoided.!:o8ever the )ourts have resolved this a$$arent
conflict bet8een the t8o sections byharmoniously reading "ections
114=b> and 1!! together and held that 8hile it is not illegal to
actu$ontheuncorroboratedtestimonyof anaccom$liceit isaruleof
$rudencesouniversallyfollo8ed so as to amount almost to a rule of
la8 that it is unsafe to act u$on the evidence of anaccom$lice
unless it is corroborated in material res$ects so as to im$licate
the accused.4 /his in anutshell is the core of accom$lice evidence
and must be ;e$t in mind at all times 8hile dealing8ith the subject
of accom$lice evidence./his $roject endeavours at $erforming a
com$rehensive study of Accom$lice *vidence. /he
firstsectiondiscusses the im$ortant issues relatingtoaccom$lice
evidence. It e6$lains 8hoanaccom$lice is and analyses other as$ects
li;e burden of $roof to determine 8hether a 8itness is1 "ection 1!!
of Indian *vidence Act 10924 An accom$lice shall be a com$etent
8itness against an accused $erson? and a conviction is not illegal
merely because it $roceeds u$onthe uncorroborated testimony of an
accom$lice.2 /he $rocedural as$ects relating to Accom$lice *vidence
are dealt 8ith in "ections !5(4!50 and !1& of the )ode of
)riminal rocedure. 129!.! 1. Mali; et al.. Law of Evidence- Volume
V =Allahabad+ %a8 ublishers India rivate %imited. 1225>at
4(&1.4 Ibid at 4(&2. STATUS OF EVIDENCE OF AN ACCOMPLICE
UNDER INDIANEVIDENCE ACT, 1872an accom$lice or not. com$etency of
an accom$lice as a 8itness. accom$lice evidence in
se6ualoffencesandtherelationbet8eenaccom$liceevidenceandconfessionof
aco4accused. /hesecond section deals 8ith the
