# Delhi HC seeks NALSA stand on free e-evidence aid for poor 2026-08-23T10:19:41+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Delhi High Court has sought the response of the Centre and the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking free forensic expert assistance for needy litigants to present electronic evidence in court under the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA). A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued notices on the PIL filed by lawyers Zeeshan Ekhlaque and Aman Bhide. The court observed that prima facie, the inability of the needy to present electronic evidence without expert assistance impinges upon their right to access to justice. "We accordingly require NALSA to consider the matter and apprise the court of a possible scheme which may be applicable," the court said on August 19. The petitioners argued that under the BSA, tendering electronic evidence requires a certificate signed by an expert, and those from marginalised backgrounds may lack the means to obtain it. The petition cited an RTI response in which NALSA stated that there is no provision of expert assistance for preparing certificates under Section 63 of the BSA, 2023. The court has listed the case for further hearing in October. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The BSA, which replaced the Indian Evidence Act, mandates a certificate from an expert to admit electronic records as evidence. Without state-funded help, litigants who cannot afford a private expert risk being shut out of digital evidence, a growing share of court cases. NALSA already runs free legal aid schemes, but this petition asks it to add expert-certificate costs. The court's October hearing will decide whether NALSA must frame a scheme, potentially affecting lakhs of poor litigants across criminal and civil cases where emails, phone records or CCTV footage are key. If the court directs a scheme, the government will need to fund and operationalise it. ## Coverage - siasat.com Led with the court order and the PIL's core demand, with no framing for or against any party. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Aman Bhide, Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, Delhi High Court, NALSA, Zeeshan Ekhlaque Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/delhi-hc-seeks-nalsa-stand-on-free-e-evidence-aid-for-poor/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/delhi-hc-seeks-nalsa-stand-on-free-e-evidence-aid-for-poor/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/