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RAVI NATH TILHARI
Velagapudi Kishore Kumar – Appellant
Versus
Boppana Venkata Naga Krishna – Respondent
The legal document discusses the issue of forensic examination of ink on a promissory note in a civil proceeding. The court emphasized that there is no scientific method currently available to reliably ascertain the age of ink, which limits the evidentiary value of such forensic tests. Multiple laboratories, including government forensic science laboratories and BARC, have returned reports indicating the absence of scientific techniques to determine the age of ink or revenue stamps conclusively (!) (!) (!) .
The court acknowledged that while the petitioner sought to have the promissory note examined to establish the age of the ink and the revenue stamp, the scientific community recognizes the limitations in this area. The reports from the laboratories clearly state that there is no authenticated procedure to determine the precise age of ink or handwriting, and attempts to do so are often inconclusive due to various variables affecting ink aging (!) (!) (!) .
Furthermore, the court noted that the previous order had directed the document to be sent for expert opinion, and subsequent attempts to obtain such an opinion were unsuccessful due to the scientific incapability of establishing the ink’s age. The rejection of the application for forensic examination was deemed appropriate and consistent with the current state of forensic science. The court also highlighted that the mere fact that inks or pens were manufactured years prior does not necessarily mean they were used immediately, which complicates age determination (!) (!) .
In conclusion, the court found no illegality or error in the trial court’s decision to reject the application for forensic examination based on the absence of scientific methods to establish the age of ink. It reaffirmed that seeking such forensic opinion, under the current scientific limitations, is unwarranted and only serves to delay proceedings. Accordingly, the civil revision petition was dismissed, reaffirming the principle that the evidentiary value of forensic tests must be grounded in scientifically reliable methods (!) .
| Table of Content |
|---|
| 1. loan agreement and dispute over promissory note. (Para 2 , 3 , 4) |
| 2. defendant's application for forensic examination. (Para 5 , 6) |
| 3. summary of the factual background of the case. (Para 7) |
| 4. court rejects scientific investigation claims. (Para 8 , 13 , 14) |
| 5. court's observations on previous laboratory findings. (Para 9 , 25) |
| 6. laboratories' inability to determine ink age. (Para 10 , 11 , 12) |
| 7. limits of forensic examination in determining document age. (Para 15 , 19 , 20) |
| 8. determination of the ratio decidendi. (Para 18) |
| 9. court's discretion in expert referrals. (Para 22 , 23) |
| 10. dismissal of the civil revision petition. (Para 26 , 27) |
JUDGMENT :
1. Heard Sri Sai Gangadhar Chamarthy, learned Counsel for the petitioner and perused the material on record.
2. This civil revision petition under Article 227 of the Constitution of India has been filed by the defendant challenging the Order dated 26.11.2024 in IA No.700 of 2024 in OS No.1141 of 2019 on the file of the Court of the Rent Controller-cum-IV Additional Civil Judge (Junior Division)-cum-IV Additional Judicial Magistrate of First Class, Vijayawada, Krishna District.
3. The respondent is the plaintiff. He filed OS
The absence of scientific methods to ascertain the age of ink invalidates applications to examine promissory notes for evidentiary purposes, emphasizing the need for substantive proof in legal procee....
Promissory Note – Mere determination of age of ink/writing by an expert will not clinch the issue as to when exactly maker has written/signed document.
The determination of the age of ink used in disputed documents through forensic methods is currently unfeasible, and applications for such must be timely and relevant; otherwise, they may be dismisse....
There is no scientific method to determine the age of the writing or ink, as established in previous decisions.
The absence of reliable scientific methods to determine the age of ink or documents limits the admissibility of such evidence in court, impacting the ability to establish the execution date of a prom....
There is no scientific method available to determine the age of the ink on a document. The absence of a scientific method to assess the age of handwriting renders attempts to find out the age of the ....
Determining the age of ink on a document does not assist in establishing its validity when the signature is not disputed, as held under Section 45.
There is no mechanism to determine age of ink – Expert opinion to check age of ink cannot help to determine date of writing of document.
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