New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Bankers’ Books Evidence Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The proposed legislation seeks to repeal and replace the 135-year-old British-era Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 1891, establishing a modern legal framework that recognizes electronic, digital, virtual, and cloud-based bank records as admissible evidence in judicial proceedings.
According to the statement of objects and reasons, the legislative update addresses the transformation of India’s banking ecosystem toward digital infrastructure, where financial records are predominantly created, stored, and maintained using contemporary technologies rather than traditional physical ledgers. The bill broadens the definition of “bankers’ books” to encompass all forms of data storage, ensuring a technology-neutral and future-ready statutory framework for courts, financial institutions, and legal practitioners.
Key provisions of the bill include standardized certification formats, the recognition of manual, digital, or electronic signatures for record authentication, and clear guidelines permitting bank documents to be produced in either physical or electronic formats. The legislation empowers the central government to extend these evidentiary rules to other financial sector entities. Additionally, it defines “special cause” requirements under which courts may issue written orders directing bank officials to produce records or testify in legal matters where the financial institution itself is not a party to the suit.
