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Are screenshots admissable as evidence in court? What do you think?

  • Writer: Advocate Anil Lalla
    Advocate Anil Lalla
  • Jan 22
  • 2 min read

Screenshots can be used as evidence in court, but their admissibility depends on

several critical factors.

Key Considerations for Screenshot Evidence

Authenticity: Screenshots must be proven unaltered and authentic.

Metadata: Capturing full context and metadata is crucial.

Verification: A witness must testify about how the screenshot was captured.

Authentication Process

Courts require rigorous authentication of screenshots, which typically involves:

Testimony from the complainant or a witness about how the screenshot was captured

Proving the screenshot is a true representation of the original content

Potentially providing technical evidence like hash values to demonstrate no tampering.

Potential Challenges

Screenshots lack embedded metadata

Risk of manipulation or editing.

Potential exclusion if authenticity cannot be established.

Being ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE a certificate under section 65B of Indian Evidence Act is Mandatory. Only then it can be USED AS EVIDENCE



Key Best Practices for Screenshot Evidence

Capture Comprehensively

Take screenshots of the entire screen, not just the relevant section

Include surrounding context, timestamps, and metadata.

Capture full conversation threads, not isolated messages.

Authentication Strategies

Document precisely when, how, and by whom the screenshot was taken.

Capture details about the device, operating system, and capture method

Preserve original digital files whenever possible.

Technical Considerations

Use screen recording as a supplementary method

Overlap screenshots when capturing long conversations to ensure completeness

Be prepared to explain the technical process of evidence collection.

Critical Warnings

Screenshots alone may not be sufficient evidence

Courts require proof of authenticity

Being ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE a certificate under section 65B of Indian Evidence Act is Mandatory. Only then it can be USED AS EVIDENCE.

Dynamic content might not be fully captured by static images.

Rapid Capture Recommendation

Don’t delay in capturing evidence, as digital content can be quickly deleted or modified.

(caution : These articles cannot and should not be considered as a replacement of a

professional legal advice as there are many intricacies that may not have mentioned

here)

Caution : These articles cannot and should not be considered as a replacement of a professional legal advice as there are many intricacies that may not have mentioned here.


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