STATUS OF EVIDENCE OF AN ACCOMPLICE UNDER INDIANEVIDENCE ACT, 1872ContentsI. Introduction..................................................................................................................2II. Research Methodology.................................................................................................41. Aims and Objectives.................................................................................................42. Nature of roject.......................................................................................................4!. "ources of #ata.........................................................................................................44. "co$e and %imitation................................................................................................4&. Research 'uestions...................................................................................................4(. Mode of )itation.......................................................................................................&III. Accom$lice *vidence+ Issues And ers$ectives.......................................................(I. ,ho Is An Accom$lice-.......................................................................................(II. Accom$lices. /ra$ ,itnesses. unters. "$ies. #ecoys. Informers etc.................0III. 1urden of roof+ ,hether ,itness is an Accom$lice or not-...........................2I3. )om$etency of Accom$lice as ,itness............................................................2I3. Accom$lice *vidence and )onfession of )o4accused..............................................153. Accom$lice and "e6ual )rimes.................................................................................153I. Accom$lice *vidence+ /he 'uestion Of )orroboration............................................113II. Necessity of )orroboration.....................................................................................123III. Nature of )orroboration.........................................................................................12I7. *6tent of )orroboration.............................................................................................1!7. A$$reciation of Accom$lice *vidence+ /he )orroboration Issue.............................147I. *nglish %a8 3s. Indian %a8+ A )om$arative Analysis............................................1(7II. )onclusion..............................................................................................................12References..........................................................................................................................25 STATUS OF EVIDENCE OF AN ACCOMPLICE UNDER INDIANEVIDENCE ACT, 1872I. INTRODUCTION "ection1!!oftheIndian*vidence Act. 10921istheonlyabsoluteruleofla8dealing8ithaccom$lice evidence.2 :o8ever it is the o$inion of some that this section is redundant as "ection110 ma;es all $ersons com$etent to testify e6ce$t those $ersons 8hich the section s$ecificallybars. Moreoverthereisnorule8hichre 8hich lays do8n the $resum$tion that anaccom$lice is un8orthy of credit unless he is corroborated in material $articulars. /hus o8ing tothis conflict bet8een "ection 114=b> and "ection 1!! some e6$erts feel that "ection 1!! shouldhave been omitted and the la8 relating to accom$lice evidence 8ould have been the same as it isno8 and the a8;8ardness of a$$earing to sanction a $ractice so universally condemned 8ouldhave been avoided.!:o8ever the )ourts have resolved this a$$arent conflict bet8een the t8o sections byharmoniously reading "ections 114=b> and 1!! together and held that 8hile it is not illegal to actu$ontheuncorroboratedtestimonyof anaccom$liceit isaruleof $rudencesouniversallyfollo8ed so as to amount almost to a rule of la8 that it is unsafe to act u$on the evidence of anaccom$lice unless it is corroborated in material res$ects so as to im$licate the accused.4 /his in anutshell is the core of accom$lice evidence and must be ;e$t in mind at all times 8hile dealing8ith the subject of accom$lice evidence./his $roject endeavours at $erforming a com$rehensive study of Accom$lice *vidence. /he firstsectiondiscusses the im$ortant issues relatingtoaccom$lice evidence. It e6$lains 8hoanaccom$lice is and analyses other as$ects li;e burden of $roof to determine 8hether a 8itness is1 "ection 1!! of Indian *vidence Act 10924 An accom$lice shall be a com$etent 8itness against an accused $erson? and a conviction is not illegal merely because it $roceeds u$onthe uncorroborated testimony of an accom$lice.2 /he $rocedural as$ects relating to Accom$lice *vidence are dealt 8ith in "ections !5(4!50 and !1& of the )ode of )riminal rocedure. 129!.! 1. Mali; et al.. Law of Evidence- Volume V =Allahabad+ %a8 ublishers India rivate %imited. 1225>at 4(&1.4 Ibid at 4(&2. STATUS OF EVIDENCE OF AN ACCOMPLICE UNDER INDIANEVIDENCE ACT, 1872an accom$lice or not. com$etency of an accom$lice as a 8itness. accom$lice evidence in se6ualoffencesandtherelationbet8eenaccom$liceevidenceandconfessionof aco4accused. /hesecond section deals 8ith the