BSA Section 75 — Certified copies of public documents

Summary

Every public officer who has custody of a public document that a person has the right to inspect must, on demand, give that person a copy of it, provided the person pays the legal fees. The officer must also write a certificate at the foot of the copy stating that it is a true copy of the document or the relevant part of it. This certificate must be dated and signed by the officer with his name and official title, and must be sealed if the officer is authorised by law to use a seal. Copies certified in this way are called certified copies.

The Explanation clarifies that any officer who, in the ordinary course of official duty, is authorised to deliver such copies is considered to have custody of the documents for the purposes of this section.

Official Text

Every public officer having the custody of a public document, which any person has a right to inspect, shall give that person on demand a copy of it on payment of the legal fees therefor, together with a certificate written at the foot of such copy that it is a true copy of such document or part thereof, as the case may be, and such certificate shall be dated and subscribed by such officer with his name and his official title, and shall be sealed, whenever such officer is authorised by law to make use of a seal; and such copies so certified shall be called certified copies.

Explanation.—Any officer who, by the ordinary course of official duty, is authorised to deliver such copies, shall be deemed to have the custody of such documents within the meaning of this section.

Referred to by

• BSA §48 — Evidence of character or previous sexual experience not relevant in certain cases

Old <-> New Code Mapping

• IEA §76 — Certified copies of public documents