BSA Section 5 — Facts which are occasion, cause or effect of facts in issue or relevant facts

Summary

Facts that are the occasion, cause, or effect—whether immediate or indirect—of a relevant fact or a fact in issue are relevant. Also relevant are facts that make up the state of things under which those facts happened, or that provided an opportunity for those facts to occur or for a transaction to take place.

Illustration (a): If the question is whether A robbed B, the facts that shortly before the robbery B went to a fair with money in his possession, and that he showed the money or mentioned having it to third persons, are relevant.

Illustration (b): If the question is whether A murdered B, marks on the ground produced by a struggle at or near the place where the murder was committed are relevant facts.

Illustration (c): If the question is whether A poisoned B, the state of B's health before the symptoms ascribed to poison, and B's habits known to A that afforded an opportunity for the poison to be administered, are relevant facts.

Official Text

Facts which are the occasion, cause or effect, immediate or otherwise, of relevant facts, or facts in issue, or which constitute the state of things under which they happened, or which afforded an opportunity for their occurrence or transaction, are relevant.

Illustrations.

(a) The question is, whether A robbed B. The facts that, shortly before the robbery, B went to a fair with money in his possession, and that he showed it, or mentioned the fact that he had it, to third persons, are relevant.

(b) The question is, whether A murdered B. Marks on the ground, produced by a struggle at or near the place where the murder was committed, are relevant facts.

(c) The question is, whether A poisoned B. The state of B's health before the symptoms ascribed to poison, and habits of B, known to A, which afforded an opportunity for the administration of poison, are relevant facts.

Related Judgments

• DEEPTI KAPUR vs KUNAL JULKA — Delhi High Court (2020)
• YERIKALA SUNKALAMMA & ANR. vs STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE & ORS — Supreme Court of India (2025)
• KANWAL NAIN SINGH MOKHA vs REKHA KHURANA — Delhi High Court (2022)
• SRI-LA.SRI SUBRAMANIA DESIKA GNANASAMBANDA PANDARASANNADHI vs STATE OF MADRAS AND ANOTHER — Supreme Court of India (1965)
• AJAY DABRA vs PYARE RAM & ORS — Supreme Court of India (2023)

Old <-> New Code Mapping

• IEA §7 — Facts which are occasion, cause or effect of facts in issue or relevant facts