Parliament Passes Bankers Books Evidence Bill

The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed the Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026, paving the way for replacement of the colonial-era 1891 act with a modern legal framework aimed at recognising electronic and digital banking records as evidence in legal proceedings. 

The Lok Sabha had already passed the Bill on August 5. The Bill, seeks to repeal and replace the Bankers' Books Evidence Act,1891, and update the law governing the use of bankers' books and records in courts in line with the present-day



banking system.

With passage by both Houses of Parliament, the Bill marks a significant step towards updating the evidentiary framework governing banking records and bringing a law enacted in 1891 in line with contemporary banking practices. 

The Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026, retains most of the provisions of the existing Act, under which certified copies of bank records can be used as evidence in legal proceedings without requiring production of the original records.