In Brief
The Supreme Court allowed the State's appeal challenging a trial court's rejection of an application to produce a Section 65-B certificate for electronic evidence in a 2008 Bangalore serial bomb blasts case. The Court held that while primary electronic devices were already on record, the prosecution's application to produce the certificate at a later stage was wrongly rejected. The Court clarified that Section 65-B certificates can be produced at any trial stage if no irreversible prejudice results and fair trial principles are upheld. The delay argument (six years) was misconceived; the real timeline was from when the trial court first rejected the report, prompting prompt production of the certificate. The Court emphasized that criminal justice requires finding truth while protecting accused persons' rights to rebuttal.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.