What is Deposition of medical witness? What is Evidence of Officers of the Mint? What is Reports of certain Government scientific experts? Section 291, 292 and 293 of Code of Criminal Procedure 1973

Deposition of medical witness, Evidence of Officers of the Mint and Reports of certain Government scientific experts are defined under Section 291, 292 and 293 of CRPC 1973. Provisions under this section is:

Section 291 of CRPC "Deposition of medical witness"

(1) The deposition of a civil surgeon or other medical witness, taken and attested by a Magistrate in the presence of the accused, or taken on commission under this chapter, may be given in evidence in any inquiry, trial or other proceeding under this code, although the deponent is not called as witness.

(2) The Court may, if it thinks fit, and shall, on the application of the prosecution or the accused, summon and examine any such deponent as to the subject-matter of his deposition.

Section 292 of CRPC "Evidence of Officers of the Mint"

(1) Any document purporting to be a report under the hand of any such Gazetted Officer of the Mint or of the Indian Security Press (including the Officer of the Controller of Stamps and stationery) as the Central Government may, by notification, specify in this behalf, upon any matter or thing duly submitted to him for examination and report in the course of any proceeding under this Code, may be used as evidence in any inquiry, trial or other proceeding under this Code, although such officer is not called as a witness.

(2) The court may, if it thinks fit, summon and examine any such officer as to be the subject-matter of his report:

Provided that no such officer shall be summoned to produce any records on which the report is based.

(3) Without prejudice to the provisions of Sections 123 and 124 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872), no such officer shall, except with the permission of the Master of the Mint or the Indian Security Press or the Controller of Stamps and Stationery, as the case may be, permitted,

(a) to give any evidence derived from any unpublished official records on which the report is based ; or

(b) to disclose the nature or particulars of any test applied by him in the course of the examination of the matter or thing.

Section 293 of CRPC "Reports of certain Government scientific experts"

(1) Any document purporting to be a report under the hand of a Government scientific expert to whom this Section applies, upon any matter or thing duly submitted to him for examination or analysis and report in the course of any proceeding under this Code, may be used as evidence in any, inquiry, trial or other proceeding under this Code.

(2) The Court may, if it thinks fit, summon and examine any such expert as to the subject-matter of his report.

(3) Where any such expert is summoned by a Court, and he is unable to attend personally, he may, unless the Court has expressly directed him to appear personally depute any responsible officer working with him to attend the Court, if such officer is conversant with the facts of the case and can satisfactorily depose in Court on his behalf.

(4) This Section applies to the following Government scientific experts, namely:-

(a) any Chemical Examiner or Assistant Chemical Examiner to Government

(b) the Chief Inspector of Explosives;

(c) the Director of the Finger Print Bureau;

(d) the Director Haffkeine Institute, Bombay ;

(e) the Director, Deputy Director or Assistant Director of a Central Forensic Science Laboratory or a State

Forensic Science Laboratory;

(f) the Serologist to the Government.